Fated by the Crescent
by thebeastwithin0016
Summary: She was just another human form beside his despised hanyou half-brother. He was just another demon looking to be the most powerful in the land. Now trapped in the modern era, how will it change their view of each other? Romance/Slice of Life. OCs, OOC and mature language! Rating will change to M in the future.
1. Where are we?

A/N: Hello there beloved readers! Welcome to my first Inuyasha fanfic.

I hope that you will enjoy the journey that I have paved for this wonderful characters!

Also note that this work is **Copyright Protected** I do not claim to be a great writer, I'm an amateur with a passion I want to protect.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, it is created by the talented Rumiko Takahashi.

Thank you for your support and your reviews will be appreciated if you have any feedback. Thanks!

* * *

 **ONE**

"Ugh..." Kurenai's palm landed on the throbbing of her head as her rich, blood red orbs fluttered open to the blurry sight of blue skies and wispy clouds. Blinking the haze off her vision, she pushed herself off the carpet of grass to grasp her surroundings.

Lying unconscious a few meters away is Sango with Miroku's arm protectively wrapped around her, a little further from them and also knocked out is Shippo and finally, her eyes found the familiar red and silver blur of Inuyasha, clutching his head in pain. His amber eyes flickered with concern as they converged on her.

"Kurenai! Are you alright?!"

"Yes, just a little sore. You?"

"Keh. Got a few nicks here and there." he shrugged before his eyes turned into slits as he tore them away from her.

"Sesshoumaru? You're still here?!" the hanyou barked and her head whipped around to where he's been glaring.

The daiyoukai made no response to his half-brother and kept his full focus is on the unconscious little girl in his arms.

"Is Rin alright?" Kurenai can't help but ask, worried.

Without moving his head, Sesshoumaru's icy amber eyes peeked at the human woman that spoke, he doesn't have any desire to involve himself with any of his brother's entourage and yet, the genuine concern in those scarlet eyes coaxed him to respond.

"It seems there is no threat to her life although she has some scratches." he looked down at Rin and moved his hand to carefully tapped the girl's cheek, "Rin, wake up. Come on Rin, wake up." he urged until the girl finally awakes.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin whispered, a faint smile crossed the daiyoukai's face for a split second before his gaze flew to Kurenai who sighed in relief. The miko's deep concern for his ward who she rarely spent any time with is a mystery to Sesshoumaru.

Kurenai didn't notice the daiyoukai's musing as she herself mused about the events that brought them to this state.

They encountered a sinister witch who has a twisted obsession with Naraku and satisfying his desires. Even with both their groups fighting the witch, it was still an uphill battle before it seemed like they're getting the upper hand, and that was when the witch began chanting and blasted them off by a blue light and everything went black.

Recalling everything that happened made Kurenai aware of her injuries as the pain registered to her brain, she has a shallow gash on both her left arm and leg, and when she moved to stand, she found out she sprained her right ankle. _'Great'_ she rolled her eyes.

She ignored the pain and dragged herself towards the young kitsune.

"Hey Kurenai, what happened?" Inuyasha eyed what she's doing.

"I hurt my ankle," she replied, still dragging herself.

"Then stop moving, wench! I'll check on them instead." he barked.

"I'm fine, I'm almost there anyway. Just check on Sango and Miroku, I'll handle Shippo." Inuyasha huffed at the woman's stubbornness.

Sesshoumaru watched with seemingly bored eyes as the raven haired struggled to get to her companion despite her condition. It is beyond him how she puts herself aside for others when she's clearly in pain.

After much effort, Kurenai settled beside Shippo and pulled him onto her lap. His breathing seem to be stable and he doesn't seem to have any serious injures except for some scratches. While assessing the young kit, she noticed movement from the corner of her eye, she looked up and sighed at what she saw.

"Geez Miroku! Stop pretending you're still knocked out you pervert!" Miroku's hand making its way to Sango's butt flinched and the monk peeked at her with a nervous grin.

"Oh Lady Kurenai, I'm glad you're alright," he said, feigning innocence.

"Check on Sango you idiot!" Inuyasha scolded him.

"I was! And you interrupted me." the monk debated which got two pairs of eye rolls.

Kurenai's stare fell back to Shippo and started to gently nudge him awake, smiling when she felt the kitsune shift and then open his eyes.

"Mama?" he asked, eyes still glazed.

"Yes, I'm here. Thank God you're alright."

'SLAP'

Kurenai shook her head at the sound, she figured the demon-slayer's finally came to and reprimanded the monk for his mischief.

"PERVERT!" Sango's voice echoed.

Kurenai felt relieved at seeing her companions awake and lively despite walking away with minor injuries from the recent altercation.

"I'm glad you're okay Sango." she smiled at Sango who smiled back.

"Me too."

"Where the hell are we?!" Inuyasha roared and they finally paid attention to their surroundings. It wasn't long however, for Kurenai to realize where they are and her eyes grew ridiculously wide.

"No way." she uttered in disbelief, _'They're in Los Angeles!'_

"What is it wench?" the hanyou asked as his amber eyes scanned the unfamiliar environment. They're perched on a grassy slope columned by tall, lush trees and he can also spot a lake nearby peppered with birds cruising all over it. But what got their attention the most are the concrete architecture seemingly rising and falling at the horizon ahead.

"This is my era." Kurenai breathed.

They looked at Kurenai in stunned silence, they're five hundred years into the future?!


	2. Questions

**TWO**

"This is my era." Kurenai breathed and her companions stared at her in stunned silence, "And this is the spot I go to travel to your time." she looked around and the well she jumps into to travel to the Feudal era is nowhere to be found. Surely, the witch is behind its disappearance and they'll have to figure a way out of this predicament.

But before that, they need to get out of plain sight, it's lucky that there's not much people at the park but it's not ideal for the demons to be on display in this era.

"Inuyasha, can you bring my backpack over here please?" she asked the hanyou who swiftly picked up the massive item and set it beside her.

Kurenai reached in and fished out her phone that's encased in the thickest, most shock-proof case she could find. She hated the bulky thing but it beats having to buy a new phone every time the one she has gets smashed at the savage Feudal era.

Her companions watched her curiously as she tapped her fingers on it before diving back into her bag for the first aid kit.

 _'Finally back from your adventure sis?'_ her brother's voice laced with mischief greeted through the speaker, and her companions' eyes widened at hearing the item speak, sort of.

"Later with your playfulness brother. I need you to pick us up quickly." she said loudly as she opened up the first aid kit.

 _'US? Are you okay sis?'_ the concern is evident her brother's voice and they can hear shuffling and clinking on the other line.

"I'll explain when you get here. Use the Escalade, there're seven of us. Please bring some clean cloth, an ice pack and bottles of water for us." she pinched her eyes close hoping he won't worry too much but winced when she heard him take a sharp breath.

 _'Jesus Kurenai, you're giving me a heart attack, same place right?'_

"Yeah, I'm fine Ren, don't worry." She assured him, "Drive carefully okay? I hope it's not rush hour."

 _'Me too. I'll be there soon sis, sit tight.'_

"Okay, call me when you're almost here." she said and let her brother hang up.

"What the hell is that?" Inuyasha snarled in confusion.

The red-eyed looked up and smiled at the baffled faces around her.

"In this era, everything is fast paced and communication is vital. This device is something we use to communicate with people who are either thousands of miles away or just beside us." she tried her best to give an easy explanation but they remained perplexed and she can't help but chuckle.

"This era?" Sesshoumaru's cold voice cut through their trivia session. They forgot that he's around and he doesn't know that she came from the future.

The group had no choice but explain everything to the Lord of the West while they applied first aid to one another.

Everything from how she stumbled upon the well, how she met Inuyasha, how she shattered the jewel shards that made her travel with Inuyasha to bring it back together and how the whole day she spends in the feudal is equal to only three hours in this time and it's the same thing when she's home, she'll spend a day in her own era with only three hours passing by in the feudal era. She also told them about the disappearance of the well and that they will have to find out how to bring it back.

"So this is the world that you came from?" Sesshoumaru surveyed the foreign surroundings once more. His face contorted in disgust at the weight of pollution in the air and the noise attacking his sensitive senses making his head throb.

"I know with your heightened senses you'll find this world a tad filthier than I sometimes think it is but yeah, this is my home."

Just as Kurenai finished bandaging Sango's wound on her arm, her phone rang to her brother's ringtone and she picked it up.

"Hey bro."

 _'Almost there sis.'_ he informed.

"Great! See you at the entrance then," she hung up and turned to her friends.

"He's close. We should head to the entrance." Kurenai stared at her very demon companions, "Alright, Inuyasha wrap this around your head." She handed a scarf to the hanyou.

"What?" he growled.

"I told you before, there are no demons in this era therefore we can't risk humans seeing you like this, it will cause an uproar. I found a spell in great grandma's spell book to hide your demon features which must be what demons today—if there are any—use to blend in but for now, hide your ears," She said and the hanyou grudgingly took the scarf and wrapped it on his head. She wrapped one on Shippo's head and a shirt around the kit's waist to hide his tail.

"Is it too tight sweetie?" she asked.

The kitsune gave her a toothy grin, "Not at all mama."

"What about Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin asked, as she clutched the Lord's sleeve.

"She's right Kurenai, his ears and markings will draw attention right?" Sango pointed.

Kurenai's eyes landed on the daiyoukai in contemplation.

Sesshoumaru glared at her with cold eyes, "This Sesshoumaru will not have anything on his head."

She can't help but roll her eyes, earning a scowl from the demon. "Figured as much. There's no need to I guess, his markings can be mistaken for tattoos that some people of this age have themselves marked with intentionally, which I also have." she lifted her left wrist that bore a small roman number two on the side. "As for your ears, just cover them with your hair." she suggested.

Despite his displeasure at being casually told what to do, Sesshoumaru knew he should comply. This is the woman's territory and she's the only one who can keep the complicated situation under control.

"Okay, let's go." with Inuyasha and Sango's aid, Kurenai hopped on one foot and they headed to the park entrance.


	3. Brother

**THREE**

A man they assume is Kurenai's brother sprinted through the park's gates the moment they came into sight.

"Sis!"

He came to a halt in front of his little sister and his olive green eyes flared at the state she's in; the left arm of her jacket and left leg of her pants are slashed open with blood seeped bandages underneath and her right foot hovering over the ground tells him that she might have sprained it.

Kurenai's heart sank at the horror in her brother's eyes as they raked over her. "Hey brother, I'm home." she smiled, praying it eases him somehow, "It's not as bad as it looks, they're superficial wounds and a sprained ankle. Let's talk in the car, it's not ideal for us to be out here too long."

Knowing his sister's right, he forced his worry down and smiled back at her, "Okay. Welcome home, sis." finally expanding his vision to the people with his sister, he smiled at Sango, "I'm Ren Moretti, Kurenai's older brother. I'll help carry her instead, please go to the car."

The slayer let her friend go and hesitantly walked towards the modern mode of transportation that Kurenai told them so much about.

The vehicle's black, shiny façade is hypnotic but the thing that stood out the most to the guests from the Feudal era is the absence of horses, or dragons, or an ox to perform its transportation duties and they wondered how it will work.

Ren opened the door for the backseats and Kurenai began instructing them, "Sango, go in first to the very back and sit next to the window; Shippo, sweetie, go in next and sit opposite Sango next to the window." She turned to Sesshoumaru and Rin, "Sesshoumaru, I'll need Rin to sit next to Shippo since it will be more comfortable for the smaller ones to sit at the back," she asked of the daiyoukai.

Despite his ire at the human woman once again telling him what to do and not using honorifics to address him, he gave his approval, "Go ahead, Rin."

Inuyasha helped Ren get Kurenai into the car to sit between Sango and Rin then Ren slid his gym bag into the space between Inuyasha and Miroku's seats and elevated his sister's injured foot over it. Inuyasha and Miroku hopped in the car next and Sesshoumaru occupied the front passenger seat.

Ren handed out bottles of cold water to his passengers before driving them back home and Kurenai began telling the story of how they got to this turn of events.

"So they'll be staying with us for now." she concluded.

"I see. Well, we're gonna have to buy their necessities later," Ren said, keeping his eyes on the road.

Driving through LA, the car echoed with 'woahs' and 'wows' of their guests from the Feudal era as they took in the foreign landscape of the modern city. From the towering skyscrapers, to the rows of different shops, to the pedestrians' outfits or lack thereof—which of course was a thrill to a particular monk—and the different modes of transportation. It was an overwhelming surge of foreign images and information that they can barely keep up with and the siblings can't help but smile watching their faces light up with wonder.

Sesshoumaru however, is not as bright-eyed as the others. He frowned at the revealing clothes of not just the women but also the men and the sight of the vehicles spewing black smoke into the air made his skin crawl. There are things he found amazing, but not everything impressed him. His only consolation is Rin's excitement at the new things she's seeing, but everything changes to irritation at her high-pitched squeals.

Kurenai checked the time on her phone; a little before 9am. Perfect.

"Ren, what food can we serve them at home?" she asked while tapping away on her phone.

He glanced at her through the rearview mirror before focusing back on driving, "I planned chicken macaroni soup for lunch and the broth I made for that last night is fantastic! There're also porkchops marinating in the fridge and I just bought some ingredients for salad yesterday." He chuckled at the choir of growling stomachs.

"Geez, thanks for teasing us bro." She groaned sarcastically before pressing her phone to her ear. "Hi Ryan! It's K, how are you? I'm good." Her friends craned their necks towards her with frowned faces as Kurenai spoke a language they don't understand with her phone pressed to her ear.

"Listen," she continued, "I need a favor, can you come over quickly? I have an emergency remodeling project for you. Yes. Sorry for the short notice. Really? Thanks, see you later then." Kurenai hung up and smiled at the innocent curiosity in her friends' eyes staring at her.

"As you know," she started another one of the many explanations she and her brother will give her friends about the modern era, "we're in a foreign country and this country has a different language than Japan which is called English, that's what you heard me speaking earlier. Ren and I know both English and Japanese because our biological father was a native of this country while our mother came from Japan."

"Why didn't we hear the voice of the person you were talking to like when you spoke your brother earlier?" Sango asked.

"Hmmm..." she thought a simple explanation to the question.

"We'll have A LOT of hard questions to answer won't we?" Ren grinned.

"You see, conversations over the phone are often preferred to be kept private so normally, you can only hear the person you're talking to when the phone is pressed to your ear. But with my conversation with Ren earlier, because I need both my hands to go through my bag, I pressed the loud speaker button on the phone and that made his voice loud enough so I can hear even if the phone is far from my ear." seeing the acknowledgement on their faces, she continued, "I called a friend of mine who is an expert on organizing and decorating homes because I'd like modify the house to suit our current needs."

"There's no need to go through so much trouble Kurenai." Miroku told her.

"Hell, we've survived with camping in forests and sleeping in a small hut so your home wouldn't be so bad." Inuyasha added.

Their driver chuckled, "Oh... It's not bad at all I tell you." he stated proudly and got another set of inquisitive looks. "You'll find out soon enough, we're almost there."


	4. Her Brother Knows

**FOUR**

"So, based on my sister's story, the lady in the back with her is Sango the demon slayer, the black haired man with the ponytail is the perverted monk, Miroku..."

"Really? Kurenai?" the monk turned to her somewhat embarrassed.

She raised her eyebrows at him, "NOW you're embarrassed? Don't worry, my brother is also a womanizer like you."

"Hey! Don't ruin my image this early!" her brother feigned anger before continuing, "The little boy with brown hair and green eyes is the half-fox and my sister's adoptive son Shippo." he peeked at the kit through the rearview mirror, "You can call me uncle if you like."

The kitsune's eyes sparkled, "Really?"

"Yeah! And of course, there's Inuyasha. The half-dog demon who is rough and has a bad temper but underneath all that, he actually cares and loves ramen." at this, Inuyasha's cheeks glowed light pink and then turned beet red when the olive-eyed continued, "She also told me you go around comparing her to your dead ex-lover."

"Ex?" Ren heard them mutter and realized they don't know the word.

"Former. It's a casual term for former." His sister echoed from the back.

"That's not very nice you know." He continued, "You don't go making other people a stand-in for somebody else because no matter how much they look alike, they're still two different people." as the traffic lights go red, he turned and smirked at Inuyasha, "You should let me punch you in the face for that because my sister is one of a kind, I don't think there's anybody as strong, kind, and endearing as her."

"Endearing?! She sits me every time she gets the chance!" the hanyou growled.

"Well with that attitude, I don't blame her. Besides, even I don't stand a chance against her sometimes." he chuckled as he got the Escalade moving again.

Sesshoumaru thought the miko didn't tell her brother anything about him and Rin since they're not originally a part of their group but he was wrong.

"Of course we also have the Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands, the fierce and noble full demon who is Inuyasha's older half-brother…" he paused to look at the daiyoukai, "and who tried to melt my sister with his acid."

Everyone in the vehicle went tense, anxious about how the daiyoukai will react.

Sesshoumaru glanced at the driver beside him, trying to gauge the human's temper since nobody will be too eager to come face-to-face with the person that tried to harm their family.

"Brother..." Kurenai uttered in warning, "We already talked about this, he's also saved my life."

Ren raised a hand in acknowledgement, "I know, I know. Things took a turn for the better and the adorable little Rin is the biggest proof of that." he smiled at the young girl through the rearview mirror and she giggled, she's been waiting for him to mention her name after he mentioned everybody else's in the vehicle.

Ren kept his eyes on the road as he addressed Sesshoumaru, "My sister told me the whole story and I understand why you did what you did. I also understand that things have changed but you must also understand, I need to get it out of my system. I need to take it out on YOU." He looked at the man beside him and olive green eyes met amber, "You threatened the life of my most precious family."

Both men held the stare for a moment before Ren once again had to focus on the road but that short moment was enough for Sesshoumaru to see the magnitude of love this man has for his sister. There's also forgiveness reflected in his eyes but it comes with a promise that if Sesshoumaru endangers his sister's life again, it doesn't matter if he's an inu daiyoukai, Ren will come after him.

Sesshoumaru also set his eyes on the road before speaking, "Your emotions are valid. In truth, this Sesshoumaru is quite perplexed by your composure in this situation, others in your position would engage in a physical altercation."

"Like she said, you saved her life and I thank you for that. Kurenai always talked about how much you changed; the compassion you've developed for Rin and sometimes for others." Ren can see Sesshoumaru frown from his peripheral vision, "You may see this as a weakness considering how you lived your life as a powerful demon but believe me when I say, that compassion can bring you the type of strength you never thought you had." When it felt like his passenger is done talking, he addressed everyone in the car, "Her stories about her adventures at the Feudal era while fascinating terrifies me to no end. Thinking about her surrounded by vicious demons is not exactly comforting when I can't be there and seeing her state now…" they can only sit silent, unable to assuage the brother's concern for his sister.

"I'm fine Ren." Red eyes caught olive ones through the rearview mirror, "I've gone through worse, you know this." she said cryptically.

Sesshoumaru's brows furrowed at the statement, _What could possibly be worse than being in an era where demons run rampant? What did she go through that's worse than almost disintegrating through this Sesshoumaru's acid?_ The daiyoukai thought to himself.

"Yeah, I know sis." Ren's smile was melancholic, "Anyway, the boys got anxious when I was talking to you on the phone, expect a warm welcome."

"Boys?" the guests wondered but before they can ask, Ren spoke once again.

"We're here."


	5. The Residence

**FIVE**

They wheeled through two steel gates into an expansive lawn elegantly landscaped with wispy pine trees, wine red maple trees and manicured emerald green shrubs. Their guests stared at the scenery wide-eyed which got even wider as their vehicle came to a halt in front of a huge, modern three-story house branching out to another single story house connected by a glass hallway.

"WHAT?!" the guests except for Sesshoumaru yelped.

"Yup, this is our home. I told you it's not bad at all." the olive-eyed grinned at his astounded passengers through the rearview mirror before facing the full demon to teach him how to unfasten the seatbelt and open the car door.

"Let me help you guys out over there." Ren got out of the car and the other passengers bombarded Kurenai with questions.

"Are you actually a princess mama?" Shippo asked excitedly.

"Are you actually an equivalent of Lord Sesshoumaru in this time?" Miroku added, still eyeing the house.

"Speak up wench!" Inuyasha spat.

As the flurry of questions filled the vehicle, Sesshoumaru stepped out of the vehicle and examined the modern architecture. Very few things impress the Lord of the West and this elegant and massive structure in front of him is definitely one of them.

He heard Kurenai speak from inside the car, her voice laced with a chuckle, "Okay people, calm down. No, I'm not a princess and no, I'm not an equivalent of Sesshoumaru, have you seen his castle? Everything we have is a product of our ten years of hard work."

This information made the residence seem all the more incredible to the daiyoukai knowing that Kurenai and Ren achieved it through their own abilities and perseverance in comparison to how he acquired his castle with no effort at all.

Sesshoumaru is especially in awe of Kurenai. In his era where women are viewed to be inferior to men, it's remarkable to come across a woman who works to achieve extraordinary things. This thought roused an unfamiliar warmth within the daiyoukai, an emotion he found confusing and dangerous at the same time and he ultimately decided to push it aside.

Ren led them into the house with his sister in his arms and their eyes wandered all over the house's exterior.

The house exuded sophistication and luxury tied with the warmth of the owners that live in it. Its contemporary façade is clean and crisp with its straight lines and white painted walls with black trimmings and gray stone accents. The first floor showed minimal signs of windows while the second and third floor's abundant floor-to-ceiling windows created a semi-panoramic reflection of the nature surrounding the house.

As they step inside, two full-grown dogs and one little puppy raced towards them barking.

"Woah!" they took a step back and Sango got worried because she's got Kirara with her.

Kurenai was quick to reassure her guests, "Calm down, guys. They're a friendly bunch and they're fine with cats Sango, don't worry." The dogs stopped in front of Ren barking and whimpering and actively pushing themselves on two feet, clearly calling for the woman's attention.

"They're just excited to see her and of course worried." Ren added.

"Put me down Ren so I can say hi."

The heads of the foreigners from the Feudal era swiveled in curious scrutiny of the sophisticated interiors as they treaded down the white painted halls paved with polished light hardwood floors. One side of the hall is adorned with a large sectional Venetian mirror over a sleek, black console table decked with metallic silver vases and white candles on a black decorative plate. On the opposite side are frosted glass double doors with unfrosted swirl patterns allowing a peek into an office, they passed another hall on their left and a staircase snaking from the second floor before they stepped into a wide, bright room enclosed in floor-to-ceiling glass windows giving a breathtaking view of the backyard with a swimming pool overlooking the city skyline.

"Whoa." they gasped in awe.

"Wait till you see it at night. Welcome to Hollywood Hills." Ren said as he padded down a few steps into the sunken living room and settled his sister down on a cozy L-shaped couch. The dogs were all over her in an instant, nuzzling and licking furiously, earning giggles from the miko.

"Yes, yes. I missed you too." she ran her hands over them, "Careful with the foot okay? And don't squish Toffee."

Kurenai's friends find the scenario quite amusing, the dogs clearly adore her and it's no wonder how she can handle the temperamental hanyou.

Even the ever cold Lord Sesshoumaru finds it interesting that she has such an affectionate bond with species same with him, but he guessed it's no surprise since she can put up with his insufferable half-brother.

"They're dogs that we adopted over time. They're her babies." their friend's brother stated.

"Oh, they're the 'boys'." Sango guessed as they watched Kurenai get mobbed by the cutest gang to ever exist.

"Yeah. When they heard me call her name and the anxiety in my voice, they became anxious as well, I had a hard time stopping them from coming with me."

"She's loved." Miroku chuckled.

"Oh, but there's still one missing." Ren pointed.


	6. The Boys

**SIX**

A Siberian husky walked into the room, passing through Miroku and Inuyasha. Unlike the others, it didn't rush to her side or called her attention, it just stood across the coffee table with a seemingly proud stance, quietly watching with icy blue eyes. Kurenai noticed it and smiled.

"Okay guys, give way to your proud big brother." they gave a few last licks and nuzzles before getting off her. She stretched out a fair arm and called, "Come here handsome." The dog slowly walked towards her and gently nuzzled her hand then licked, he continued upwards until he got to her face, "Geez, aren't you a spoiled little baby." she smirked as she rubbed the back of its head.

"His name's Zodiac, he's the oldest and the closest to her—well, they're all close to her but he sticks to her the most. He is a bit of a jealous dog and doesn't like to squeeze in with the others to give her affection, he wants her focused on him." Ren said thoughtfully then suddenly snapped, "Oh! Please do sit down and get comfortable, you guys must be exhausted. I'll get the food ready." he jogged into the kitchen.

The guests gingerly occupied the assortment of seats in the living room while Kurenai's reunion with her beloved dogs went on.

"Alright, time for introductions!" Kurenai said after the dogs calmed down, "This majestic one is Zodiac; we adopted him over three and a half years ago." she brushed its grey and white fur before picking up the tiny bundle of dark brown fur licking her left leg. "This little cutie is Toffee, he _is_ the youngest of the bunch, but he's not a puppy anymore, he's a full grown teacup Pomeranian that we've had for a year. Very cute right?" she stared at its cute little face streaked with golden fur on its cheeks and feet then looked down at the white, fluffy Samoyed lying next to Zodiac's feet. "Now, if there's any of my dogs that remind me of your physical appearance Inuyasha, JUST PHYSICALLY..." she emphasized and her friends snickered, "It's Nimbus, who we've had for three years, and last, but definitely not the least," she nodded at the caramel-colored Retriever by her feet, "there's Sawyer who we've had for two and a half years."

Sesshoumaru watched the miko with his usual disinterested expression even though he is fascinated by the way she adoringly introduced her adopted canines as if they're her human sons.

"Now, do you guys want to know who your new housemates are?" she asked the dogs and they barked.

"Okay, this lady beside me is Sango and the cat on her lap is Kirara, be nice to her alright?" she told them firmly, "Next to her is Miroku, and on his shoulder is Shippo. Oh! I forgot, be comfortable you guys, you can stop hiding your ears." the kitsune and Inuyasha removed their scarves and Sesshoumaru whipped his hair back, "We also have guests that are from your kind, Inuyasha, who's sitting beside you Zodiac and over there is his brother Lord Sesshoumaru and the young lady sitting beside him is Rin."

"Half-brother." Inuyasha spat, "Stop speaking to them as if they understand Kurenai, aside from the fact that they're animals, they can't possibly understand Japanese. Are you saying they know both languages?" the hanyou's statement earned a growl from Zodiac.

"Inuyasha! He totally understood what you said and he's not happy." Sango nudged at the hanyou.

"Keh! He just didn't like my tone." The husky barked at him a couple times.

Kurenai smirked and looked into the husky's blue eyes, "Fine then. Zodiac, turn on the lamp." The guests were in for a surprise when the dog padded towards the table between Rin and Sesshoumaru lifting a paw and flipping the switch on the lamp lighting it.

"Oh! It's glowing!" Rin gasped.

"Now turn it off hun." and the husky did, then walked back to his mother.

"Whoa..." gasps filled the room.

She rubbed his neck, "Good boy Zodiac."

Sesshoumaru was rather amused with what they just witnessed, the dog quite intelligent, even more so than his idiot of a brother.

"So, Inuyasha?" Kurenai challenged her bestfriend and got a pout in response.

"Hmph!"

She smiled and looked at the dogs, "Be kind to each other alright? We're all friends."

The dogs barked as if to agree then Kurenai got an idea.

"Shippo, Rin would you like to say hi to them?" both kids perked up and brightened.

"Yes!" Shippo hopped towards his mother.

Rin looked at Sesshoumaru, waiting for permission.

Not many things can deter the daiyoukai, but Rin's puppy dog eyes is not one of them, "Go ahead Rin." The young girl happily leapt off the couch to make some new furry friends, but she froze for a second as she started to feel a bit intimidated.

"It's okay sweetheart. C'mon." the red-eyed reassured and Rin stepped closer, "Stretch your hand out Rin." Kurenai urged and the moment the young girl offered her hand, the dogs switched from enjoying Shippo's attention to licking Rin's hand.

"Hehe. That tickles!" Rin giggled.

"Try and carry Toffee. You'll love this cutie I bet." The miko raised the pup, "Just form your arms into a cradle," Rin did as she was told, "There we go. Now just hold him gently okay?" when the little girl nodded, she carefully placed the dog in her arms.

The teacup Pomeranian immediately cuddled up to Rin and licked her chin, she giggled and looked at Sesshoumaru, her face glowing with excitement, "Look, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

"Hn." He responded as he watched the dogs get comfortable with their new guests. It seems they got their gentleness from their owner, although he can sense their protectiveness over her especially that one called Zodiac.

Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga caught Kurenai's attention and she jerked up, "Oh! Your swords!" her eyes switched from one silver-haired brother to another.


	7. The Swords

**SEVEN**

"Oh! Your swords!" Kurenai's red eyes switched from one silver-haired dog demon to another.

"What about it wench?" the hanyou rested a protective hand on his father's fang.

Hesitant red eyes regarded them as she brought her hand up to lightly scratch her head, "Well you see... This era doesn't really allow people with swords to roam around, so..."

"This Sesshoumaru is telling you now woman, your proposition is declined." the Lord declared firmly as he immediately caught on what she's trying to say and Kurenai had the most comical 'I knew it' expression on her face.

She sighed, "I assure you that I will keep the swords safe. Besides, like I said earlier, there are no demons in this era..." she paused and smirked, "Well, there are now but there have been no reports of demon presence in this era since I can remember so you will not need the swords for now."

"In that case, we won't go out." Inuyasha grumbled and his bestfriend looked at him like he'd grown extra heads.

"You can't be serious... You? Not go out? Can you seriously say that you can stay inside the house for God knows how long until I find a solution for the well? Even my dogs can't stand that!" she spat.

"But..." she can see his reluctance and somehow it hurt, it's like he doesn't trust her.

"Am I untrustworthy Inuyasha? Sesshoumaru? Have I ever given either of you a reason to doubt me?" she stared intently into their amber orbs.

"It's not like that Kurenai! You know you're the person I trust the most in the world!" the hanyou immediately denied her words and she smiled.

"Then trust that I will be putting a barrier on the swords so that only you can hold Tetsusaiga and only Sesshoumaru can hold his swords. Also, if you ever need it here which is highly unlikely, I'll make it so that you can summon them wherever you are."

Inuyasha's dog ears perked up at this, and Kurenai giggled as she can see an imaginary tail wagging behind him, "Only on extreme circumstances." she raised a stern finger at him.

"Good enough." Inuyasha agreed as he pulled his sword and handed it to her.

"Sesshoumaru?" she nudged at the daiyoukai carefully, and she found herself under the intense, cold scrutiny of the demon lord before he stood up and paced towards her.

"Be warned that if you fail to fulfill this task, this Sesshoumaru will not hesitate to bestow punishment." his tone was threatening and yet, the miko didn't flinch, instead she gave him a straightforward nod in response that somehow gave him the impression that the miko does know what she's doing and his hand moved to slide his swords off him and laid them onto her waiting hands.

Ren came back with glasses of cold black tea and a plates of biscuits and sandwiches, "Biscuits and sandwiches are what we have for now but the food will be ready soon." he informed them and that's when they noticed that the room has been filled with the appetizing smell of the soup and hear the sizzle of meat frying. They felt their hunger rise once again, so they were grateful for their friend's brother's thoughtfulness and they all dug into the plates to alleviate their growling stomachs.

Sesshoumaru curiously picked up a piece of biscuit and stared at it on all angles, 'Biscuit he said, this is a rather strange food'. As he was scrutinizing it, he pinched it a little too tightly and crushed it, the white, crisp pieces scattered on the floor.

He heard his hanyou half-brother snort and he glared up at him.

"Inuyasha, stop being so smug. As if you've never been in that kind of situation before." Kurenai said from where she sat.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "Sure, get on the full demon's side and I thought you have more guts than that." he scoffed.

It was Kurenai's turn to roll her eyes, "Oh believe me, I'm in no way trying to please Mr. High and Mighty." the sarcastic tone ticked the daiyoukai off a bit, "My point is, you can't exactly taunt him when you're not any better yourself. He can handle it with class at the very least."

The last bit made Sesshoumaru smirk, at least the woman recognizes his fine breeding. Inuyasha on the other hand, didn't like it one bit and continued growling towards his brother.

The red-eyed can't help but sigh, "Inuyasha, c'mon. You're all in the same boat. It's not exactly a good feeling to be out of your element in a strange environment."

"Hmph! Whatever." the hanyou continued to pout and Kurenai can only release a huge sigh.

"Hey sis, what time will Ryan be here? It won't be good if he sees them like that and you also, geez, you've got blood on your clothes." Ren yelled from the kitchen as he brought a ladle to his lips to get a taste of the soup.

She perked up from her seat, "Shoot! Okay, can you please grab great grandma's spell book from my office? We will also need some clothes, wet towels and three of your bracelets." guilt flooded her face as she spouted a to-do list at her brother, she hated making him do everything especially tasks she can easily do herself but she can't do anything about it, "Sorry about this Ren."

Ren smiled at his sister as he lowered the heat on the burner, "Peaches, don't worry about it alright? It's fine." he assured her.

"Why don't we help you?" Miroku offered as he rose to his feet.

"Oh, it's fine." Ren waved a hand at them to stay sitting.

"No, we'll be imposing on you for a while, we can't just sit around and be served." Sango stood up as well, "It's also an opportunity to see more of the house."

Ren smiled at his sister's friends, "If you insist, then please." He walked towards the stairs but saw Shippo, "Shippo, can you come with us? I'll give you the spell book and you give it to sis alright?"

"Sure uncle!" the kit happily leapt on his new uncle's shoulder. They disappeared into the hall where they entered from earlier.

Rin kept busy with her new furry friends while Inuyasha surveyed the room and so did his daiyoukai brother.


	8. Curiosity

**EIGHT**

They've never seen a space in a house back in the Feudal era as open and bright as this. No walls separated the living room, dining room and kitchen and the towering windows that made the room feel part of the outdoors while showering plenty of natural light indoors. The furnishings gave the room its warm and homey vibe tied with elegance; from the lavish deep violet rug under their feet to the different shaped and colored seating furniture surrounding a low black table topped with a stack of weird-looking books and silver plate topped with turquoise candles lined with white pebble stones.

Sesshoumaru took great interest at a resplendent ornament hovering above their heads; rings made of crystals cascading from the ceiling elegantly echoing opulence throughout the room and the daiyoukai silently debated with himself whether or not to ask about it but in the end, his thirst for knowledge won.

"Miko, what are those things?"

Kurenai followed the daiyoukai's line of sight and smiled, "That's called a chandelier. They provide light for the room as well as embellish it. Beautiful right?"

"Hn." is his response while his eyes remained glued at the ornament.

Kurenai watched Sesshoumaru in amusement, the rare display of curiosity in his eyes seemed adorable to her. It's always intriguing when a cold person shows an emotion you don't think they're capable of having.

Amber eyes continued to roam around the room.

Like the entryway, the walls are coated in warm white and the floors are light hardwood. A panel of light brown stones scaled the wall across the sitting room with two sunken shelves on each side housing a tall, sleek vase in dark red and cream gradient. But there is one item that seems out of place in the stone wall panel: a black, rectangular thing engraved into it.

Inuyasha voiced the question before Sesshoumaru can, "Hey wench, what is that black thing over there for? I don't think it makes sense."

She cracked a smile, "That is called a television." then turned to the golden retriever, "Sawyer, remote please." the brown dog bit down a small rectangular box on the coffee table and laid it on her hand, "Thank you, buddy." she pressed something on it and images popped up on the screen.

"Whoa!" Inuyasha muttered and Sesshoumaru stared at it, speechless as they watched a world unfold inside the small box.

"What is that?" they heard Shippo gasp behind them.

"Geez sis, start with things that are easy to explain. I bet your head is hurting from thinking of a way to easily explain things to them." Ren teased as Miroku and Sango beside him also stared at the item in awe.

"Hmmm..." she thought and thought, "Shoot! It is hard. Uhm… This is a usual item of entertainment in this era. You don't have to invite or go see performers personally to watch them sing, dance, and act. It's like... A crystal ball, or the things in your time that were used to see what a creature from any distance is doing. That's kind of how it works." she smiled sheepishly hoping her explanation was good enough.

"We understand it a bit." Miroku replied, stopping himself from chuckling at his friend's struggle for a simple explanation.

"Stop with the electronics for now sis, that's so hard to explain. We'll go get the clothes." Ren walked up the stairs with Miroku and Sango following behind him.

Meanwhile Shippo handed Kurenai a huge, archaic book bound in midnight blue leather, "Here's the spell book, mama!"

The miko flipped through the aged pages of the family relic looking for the spell she needed.

"Wow! Lady Kurenai, are you sure you're not a princess? Your room is huge! It's bigger than Lady Kaede's hut." they heard the monk rave from upstairs.

Red eyes rolled at the remark, "I said I'm not! Please hurry up! My friend's gonna be here soon!" she pleaded before bringing her attention back to the book, "Now let's see here... I know there's a spell I can use so that you can understand and speak this country's language."

"Really mama?" Shippo peeked at the book from over his mother's shoulder.

"Seriously, wench?" Inuyasha's ears perked up.

"Yeah... I believe great grandma created it so she can be aware of any evil intentions towards her. But with the level that she was in, I'm not sure if I'll pull it off." she said as she continued to flip through the pages.

Sesshoumaru watched as she eagerly looked for the spell, he is in awe that the woman is actually from a strong line of priestesses to have such an advance spell at her disposal.

 _SLAP!_ The sharp sound echoed upstairs followed by Sango's infuriated voice, "PERVERT!"

"Woah! That's some solid slap! Are you okay monk?" Ren said with a chuckle.

"Oh, he's fine! He's very used to it that I think the skin on his cheek has thickened significantly." the demon slayer spat.

"Come on Sango, when you're inside a room as inviting as this, I just can't help myself." Miroku finally spoke as they walked out of the room.

The monk's word made Kurenai wince as she looked upstairs, "Seriously Miroku? You say those kind of thoughts in my room?" she groaned, "Don't go and ruin the serenity of my sanctuary for goodness sake!" the monk and her brother chuckled at her sentiment.

"That's not even a solid argument Miroku, you're just digging your own grave." Inuyasha added as he watched the three go up the third floor.

"A-ha!" she yelled in victory, "Here it is." both Kurenai and Shippo studied the spell.

"Whoa, that's some seriously powerful spell mama, your grandmother's amazing but you'll pull it off! You're just as amazing." Shippo grinned at his mother.

She answered with a smile, shadowed with uncertainty, "I hope so." she barked up the third floor, "Bro! Can you continue on your own? I need them for the language spell!"

"Yeah!" Ren yelled back then handed over the pile of clothes to MIroku, "Go ahead you two, that spell will be handy to have."


	9. Spells

**NINE**

"A language spell Kurenai?" Sango asked as she laid the clothes on one of the couches.

"Yeah. It's better if you can speak and understand the language of this country." Kurenai set her right foot on the floor, "Inuyasha, can you help me get to that chair?" she pointed to the black reclining chair in front of her.

The hanyou carefully scooped her up and brought her to the chair.

"Geez, I was thinking I could walk?" she smiled at him.

"But you can't walk Miss-I-Can-Do-It-All." he answered sarcastically as he settled her down, she smiled at him in thanks.

The miko instructed them to form a circle starting with her and once she's satisfied with their position, she turned to her furry sons, "Okay you guys, behave and stay put." she took a deep breath and began chanting the spell from the book.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha immediately sensed her powers rising, it got stronger as each moment passed and the others started feeling it. Kurenai raised her gaze from the book and they saw her blood red eyes fade into a golden glow. Not quite like the eyes of the dog demons, hers are decadent liquid gold pools that looked exquisite on her pale skin and jet black hair. She closed her eyes, still chanting as if the spell has been engraved in her mind and the golden glow from her eyes coiled around her body. The weight of her powers nudged against them and it's astonishing, she's improved substantially without them even noticing.

"Speak as I speak, understand as I understand." as the words spilled from her lips, the light surrounding her snaked towards them and they felt the warm tingle of her powers fuse with their blood, it felt soothing before slowly fading.

Kurenai finally opened her eyes and smiled at them, "So? How is it?"

Their eyes grew wide, she spoke in the language of this country and they can actually understand it!

"C'mon, you know how to answer the same way. Let me hear it." she encouraged when her companions seemingly lost their tongues.

"It worked mama! I can understand you perfectly!" Shippo hopped in celebration but smacked his hand on his mouth when he realized he just spoke in the same foreign language.

"Wow..." Sango spoke finally, "I can't believe it."

"This is something else Lady Kurenai." Miroku added.

"What now Inuyasha? My spell didn't work on your stubborn brain?" the miko smirked at Inuyasha.

"What's that wench?!" he snarled but stopped abruptly after realizing what he just did and Kurenai chuckled.

"Well, will you look at that, good job sis!" Ren praised as he walked towards them, "At least they would have an easier time while they're here. Here are the clothes for the guys," he placed another pile on the L-shaped couch, "And here are the bracelets sis, I also looked through the storage and found the sword stands that I randomly bought way back, they're in your office." he dropped the bracelets on her open palm; one with black beads, one braided brown leather and one silver chain bracelet.

"Well what do you know, your eccentric tastes is actually helpful." she taunted and he rolled his eyes at her, "Kidding! Thanks brother. But geez, it doesn't feel good to have you do everything." she whined.

"You'll heal soon sis, and you'll be back to being busy in no time." he winked at her before waltzing back to the kitchen.

They watched Kurenai flip through the pages and when she stopped, she clasped the jewelry in her hands and started chanting once more. Her eyes glowed once again before closing them, "Hide the things that should not be seen." upon that chant, the golden glow crawled through her arms into her clasped hands. Her aura slowly faded and she opened her eyes.

"Inuyasha, Shippo, Sesshoumaru, come here please." the three walked up to her, "Give me your hands." she asked and they did. She secured the bracelets on their wrists; Inuyasha got the black leather, Shippo got the brown, and Sesshoumaru got the silver and right before their eyes, their demon features vanished; Inuyasha's dog ears turned into that of a human but kept his silver hair and his claws disappeared as well. Shippo and Sesshoumaru's ears are not pointed anymore. Shippo's tail disappeared and his paws turned into human feet while Sesshoumaru's markings and moko-moko disappeared.

"As long as you have those on, your demonic features will be hidden. When you remove the bracelet, they will reappear and you can get comfortable but for now, don't remove it yet because we have a guest coming." The demons stood astounded as they take inventory of the changes in their body.

Kurenai watched the daiyoukai through her tired, heavy eyes as she stewed on a thought.

"Sesshoumaru, I would like to ask for your permission to perform another spell on you. Though it may be painful for a moment, it will be to your advantage." she looked straight into the powerful demon's eyes.

Sesshoumaru put the miko under his intense icy stare as he weighed on her words, looking for the truth in them and whether or not she has any ill intention and found nothing but sincerity, assurance, and tenacity.

"You have no intention of telling this Sesshoumaru regarding your objective?" he inquired firmly only to be caught off guard when she smiled, bright and kind.

"It's a surprise. I assure you I mean you no harm."

He studies her for a bit more and came to a conclusion that the woman is incapable of deceit, "Very well. Just know that if you do anything untoward, the consequence will be dire." he warned.

"Yes, yes. Now, can you bend down a bit?" he was displeased by the casual request, the Lord of the Western Lands does not kneel in front of anybody especially a mere human but as he looked at the woman with an injured foot and probably made weak by the magic she used—he's actually surprised that she hasn't collapsed yet—right then, he grudgingly complied.

Kurenai scooted closer and extended her arms, one hand landing on Sesshoumaru's shoulder and one on the end of his severed appendage and the daiyoukai's amber orbs grew wide in realization of what she planned to do.


	10. His Gratitude

**TEN**

The miko smiled at his reaction and Sesshoumaru felt something tug at his chest, once again the daiyoukai found himself confused, this woman is stirring alien emotions in him and she's a human for crying out loud!

Inuyasha's roar snapped him out of his daze, "Kurenai! I don't like how this looks!"

"I found a spell that can help him out in great grandma's spell book." Kurenai looked at Inuyasha, "If I can do that, then why not?"

The hanyou can see the determination in her eyes, it's one of the things that he admired about her and he knew there's no way he can talk her out of what she intends to do, he can only sigh and watch.

Seeing that Inuyasha will keep quiet, Kurenai re-focused on her task. A golden glow once again gathered on her palms onto Sesshoumaru's crippled arm as she began chanting.

The daiyoukai can feel the familiar warm tingle at the tip of the injury which steadily escalated into a searing heat. He clenched his jaw in efforts to fight down the pain.

 _Relax... I'm not purifying you it's just your arm regenerating._

The miko's voice reassured him. He glanced at her, he didn't hear her voice come through his ear, more like it echoed within his mind. He heard her voice again and this time, he was sure she is speaking to him telepathically because her lips didn't move.

\- _Just breathe..._ \- she said, trying to soothe him and he did as she said through closed eyes. That, along with her gentle voice made the pain bearable with each deep breath he took.

The others in the room watched in utter awe as they saw a golden light crawl out of Sesshoumaru's empty sleeve shaping out to be his hand.

- _There we go. Just a little bit more..._ \- she continued to encourage him but her voice sounded strained and it prompted him to open his eyes. He saw beads of sweat on her forehead, some have even trickled down her face but her concentration never wavered. All the magic she's been using is taking its toll on her body and yet she's pushing herself to regenerate his lost appendage.

A few uncomfortable moments passed before the heat started to die down then finally, he heard his healer let out a slow breath from where his eyes were closed. He can also feel his left arm once more and after what seems like eternity of being without it, he slowly lifted his newly restored arm, opened his eyes and flexed it. Though it didn't show on his face, it was surreal to him that it's finally back.

"Wah! Lord Sesshoumaru's hand grew back!" Rin cheered through the silence.

"Unbelievable." Miroku gasped.

"Well, is it in good condition?" Kurenai asked, her eyes feeling a lot heavier.

"Hn." Was the daiyoukai's only response.

All of a sudden, Kurenai's form slumped forward and due to reflexes, Sesshoumaru caught her. Who would've guessed that the first time he'll use his newly returned left arm be to catch the human who gave it back to him? But it seems very fitting.

"Kurenai!" they cried out and they heard the clatter in the kitchen and Ren's quick footsteps.

"What happened?" he reached for his sister from Sesshoumaru's arm and tapped her cheek gently.

She opened her eyes which are glazed with exhaustion, "My eyes just got a bit heavy." she rasped.

Finally Inuyasha can't take it anymore, "That's because you pushed yourself to bring back this bastard's arm!" he pointed at his daiyoukai half-brother who responded with a sharp glare.

"Inuyasha…" she weakly reprimanded, "Please, I'm alright. When I saw that I have what it takes to give him his arm back, I wanted to do it."

"You didn't have to do it right after performing incredible magic spells on multiple people!" he hissed.

"I know, I'm sorry." Kurenai smiled at him apologetically, guilty that she made him, her brother and everybody else worried.

Inuyasha can't say anything, not when she has those pleading eyes and 'I'm sorry' smile. He crossed his arms on his chest and looked away, "As long as you're sorry." he said and Kurenai's smile brightened in relief.

"Why don't you sleep for a while, sis? I'll deal with Ryan." Ren said as he brushed his sister's hair back.

She pushed herself up to sit, "Nah, I'm fine. I can't exactly miss helping design the rooms. Is the food ready?" she asked and her brother can only sigh in defeat.

It is beyond Sesshoumaru how Kurenai is sitting up talking to them after the amount of magic she just used. If it were a different person, they would have already passed out much earlier and will not be able to open their eyes for a few days or even forever. The woman is impressive, he admits to that.

"Just a little bit more with the pork chops. Change your clothes in the meantime." he looked up, "Help her please Sango, and you guys, follow me." he got on his feet and led the guys to the guest bedroom to change.

Sesshoumaru didn't follow instantly and instead looked at Kurenai with one of his rare intense gazes, "You have this Sesshoumaru's gratitude." Cold and brutal he may be but she felt the sincerity in his words.

She gave him a weak smile and a small bow, "You're welcome. You won't get to enjoy being here if you only have one arm, there's so much to see and do. Although 'enjoy' might be a word you're not familiar with." The red-eyed teased.

"Oh, this Sesshoumaru enjoys killing." he told her coldly before turning around to join the others.

"Oh yeah. That." She chuckled.

Sesshoumaru walked away bewildered by her nonchalant reaction. How can this woman laugh at what I just said? Does she not fear for her life? Well, he does owe her his arm so he will not cause her any harm in the name of his honor but still, he just said he enjoys killing and she laughs? This woman is such a puzzle and he's tempted to solve it.


	11. Her Life on the Other Side of the Well

**ELEVEN**

The food is ready by the time they finished freshening up and they all gathered at the dining table to finally eat. Ren sat at the head seat with his sister on his left and Inuyasha on the right. Shippo is seated beside his mother and Rin sat next to him. As everybody expected, Sesshoumaru occupied the seat opposite the man of the house, on his left sat Miroku and then Sango.

Kurenai observed her friends around the table they gave them cotton shirts and sweatpants to wear but their discomfort with modern clothing is still evident especially with the dog demons. She can't help but wince as she looked at the Great Demon Lord of the Western Lands, dreading the day when he tries some jeans on, having been used to wearing the finest silk in the land, _'This is going to be painful'_ she thought. Well, she can bet the Inuyasha's gonna give them an equally hard time.

The spread of food at the table are as Ren promised, chicken macaroni soup, crunchy fried pork chops, green leafy salad and steaming rice along with a pot of coffee and green tea and a pitcher of orange juice and it got their mouths watering.

"C'mon guys, help yourselves!" Kurenai said and they didn't have to be told twice, they all began to feast on the meal Ren prepared for them.

"Zewishus!" Shippo attempted to say _delicious_ through mouthful of food.

"Shippo, don't speak with your mouth full remember?" Kurenai reminded the kit.

"He's right though, they taste great." Miroku told Ren.

Ren stabbed through his salad, "I'm glad to hear that, even mediocre food have a tendency to taste great when you're starving." He joked and his sister almost choked on her porkchop from the urge to laugh.

Sango smiled at Ren, "No honestly, it's really good."

"That's good then." Ren smiled back.

"Are you okay now mama?" the kitsune's worried eyes looked up at her.

She gave the kit a gentle pat on the head, "I'm fine sweetie, a little tired is all. C'mon eat up." she said before taking a sip of coffee.

"I'll give Dr. Keller a call to check on your foot and give you a brace so you can start moving around better. I can already feel you getting irritated from asking me to do stuff." the olive-eyed brother said, a hint of laughter in his voice.

"You know I'm not used to not doing anything, brother."

"Hah! Don't I know it and I also know that you plan on working despite your condition."

"Of course I do. You know how important this period is for us."

"Lady Kurenai..." Miroku slipped into the conversation.

"Please Miroku, stop calling me lady in here. I don't have such title." she insisted firmly, "What is it?"

"What is your work exactly? The only thing you've told us is that you and your brother work together and you travel a lot." the monk voiced the question that everyone from the Feudal era are itching to ask.

"Yeah! What type of work do you have to afford all of this?" Inuyasha blurted with food in his mouth.

"Didn't you hear what I just said to Shippo not to talk with food in your mouth Inuyasha?" Kurenai scolded before answering, "We're musicians." Their guests stared at them, dumbfounded.

"Musicians earn this much in this time?" Sango asked.

"Well yeah, the entertainment industry is one of the highest paying business in this era, IF you're famous enough." Ren answered.

"So, you guys are famous?" the hanyou sputtered.

Ren pointed a fork at his sister with olive eyes twinkling in amusement, "Ahh, so that's why you didn't tell them." His sister kept focus on her plate but a hint of red flushed her cheeks and he turned to their guests, "Let's just say that there are people who appreciate our music."

Their guests switched fascinated stares between the siblings.

"Well that's intriguing. We sure are looking forward to see what you do. You must be very good at it." Miroku commented.

"You won't have to wait long, we're scheduled to perform three days from now." Ren told them.

"Oh yeah, I remember Kurenai telling Inuyasha that she needs to come home around that day." Sango said before reaching for a glass of water, "I know this is a useless question considering how stubborn you are... but will you be alright performing in that condition?"

"Yup. My injuries should be better by that time." Kurenai answered casually with a wave of her fork.

"Kurenai loves music and performing so much to let a sprained foot stop her." Ren looked at his sister with pride but with a hint of concern.

Kurenai looked at him fondly, "You love it as much as I do."

Ren's grinned, "Of course."

"It seems that the two of you have built quite a well-established life for yourselves." Sesshoumaru said in what the others consider a praise and then he added, "Where are your parents in all of this? Do they live in a different residence?" the clinking of the utensils stopped and the table got quiet, much to his bewilderment.

"Geez, way to ruin the mood bro." the hanyou shook his head and the daiyoukai glared daggers at him.

"It's a normal question, Inuyasha. He didn't mean anything bad by it." Miroku pointed.

"He's right, Lord Sesshoumaru just doesn't know." Sango agreed.

"Did this Sesshoumaru's question offend you?" he asked the siblings and saw the sister shake her head gently.

"No, just like what Miroku said, you have no ill intentions." she looked at him and for a second, he saw fleeting sadness in her eyes, "Our parents died when we were very young. I was nine and my brother was eleven. So it's basically just me and my brother."

Sesshoumaru is shocked by the revelation. Now he understands why Ren held on to the memory of him almost killing Kurenai; she's the only family he has and he almost took her away. The daiyoukai felt his stomach clench remembering what he's almost done.

"Just like Rin." he muttered.

"Yes, just like Rin." she nodded slowly.

Kurenai saw Rin's face morph into sadness, "Oh, don't be sad Rin. You know why? My brother and I always had each other. And you... You're very lucky to have Sesshoumaru look after you. Am I correct?" Rin smiled and looked at Sesshoumaru before nodding furiously. If the emotional conversation had any effect on the daiyoukai, he didn't show it on his face.

 _Ding Dong!_

A high-pitched sound echoed throughout the house.

"Oh. That should be Ryan, I'll get it. Please excuse me." Ren got up and went to the main door along with their furry sons to greet the guest.

"Mama! What was that sound?" Shippo asked.

"That's called the doorbell. It's a signal that there's a visitor outside of the house." Kurenai explained, "C'mon, eat up."


	12. Did He Really Just Say That?

**TWELVE**

"I've come bearing gifts!" they turned to see who's the owner of the cheerful voice and found a man with pale white skin, light blue eyes and light brown hair carrying brown paper bags on both hands and a bag hanging on his shoulder.

"Yeah, gifts just for my sister and the dogs, none for me." Ren complained as he followed behind.

"Oh you're a guy, deal with it." the man rolled his eyes but stopped short in his tracks upon seeing the full dining table, "Oh, a lot of new faces."

Kurenai went and introduced her friends from the Feudal era to her friend from the modern era and vice versa, "They're the reason why I called you here, Ryan. I would like to have the empty rooms decorated for them."

"Of course, no problem. But before that, Ren! Put this in the fridge before it melts!" he told Ren.

"Ice cream?" red eyes glittered with excitement.

"Yup and your favorite flavor too." he walked over to hug his friend when he noticed her foot, "Wha- What happened Kurenai?" he asked, flooded with worry.

"It's not serious, we were being silly and rode a couple of carts down a slope yesterday. Needless to say, we lost control and collided with each other. We got some minor wounds and I got a sprained ankle but we're alright." is the excuse that she and her brother came up with.

"Geez, it seems you guys had way too much fun. You're lucky to have walked away with just that." _If he only knew,_ they all thought, "I hope you all get better soon but are you sure you want to do all this today? Don't you want to rest?"

"We won't really have time tomorrow and we'll be flying to New York the day after so we can only do this today." she replied, "I'm really sorry to be dragging you here all of a sudden."

Ryan waved a hand at her, "Oh doll, don't worry about it. I always have time for you." he stared at her and then to her friends at the table, "I can tell that this means a lot to you, I can try and get it done by the time you get back from New York."

"Really?" Kurenai's eyes went wide, "There's no need for you to do that, Ry."

"Don't worry about it! You know why you called me for this, I'm one of the best in house remodeling in LA." he winked.

"Indeed you are." she agreed with a smile, "Thank you Ry!"

"And I'll give you a discount if you cook me dinner and give me tickets to your anniversary concert." he grinned.

She giggled slightly, "That's an offer I will not refuse. Let's get to it then!"

* * *

Numerous home design magazines and sheets of paint swatches are splayed all over the breakfast bar of the kitchen island where Kurenai and Ryan moved to discuss the rooms remodeling while the others finished their breakfast. The dogs rested by their feet, keeping themselves close to their newly homecoming mother, it's an endearing sight.

Kurenai, Ren, and Ryan have agreed on how to divide the three bedrooms they have available aside from the guest bedroom downstairs. Inuyasha, Shippo and Miroku will be sharing the bedroom at the third floor where her brother's room is since it's a bit larger, Sango and Rin will share one of the bedrooms at the second floor and Sesshoumaru will have his own room which is also at the second floor. Everyone agreed to this setup, no one complained that only Sesshoumaru will have a room to himself since that just made sense to them.

"I trust your judgment that you'll be able to put together a room fit for this Sesshoumaru." is what Sesshoumaru said when Kurenai asked him about how he'd like his room to look like and to say that they were shocked is an understatement.

"Ha?" Kurenai stared at the daiyoukai, stupefied. _Is he really giving up control and leaving this up to me?_ But seeing the demon lord's heavy scowl at her reaction snapped her out of her inner turmoil. "I-I see." her hands combed through the pile of paint swatches.

Her friends also left the whole decoration process to her which is not surprising but for _the_ Sesshoumaru to give her full reigns is a different story, she thought he'd have more to say considering he's a man of discerning tastes but she is thrilled to be entrusted by him and she will not disappoint. She did take interior design as a minor in college.

"This shade of gray would be a perfect choice for him, it's an elegant color for a room and it's a like blank canvas that can be paired with other colors without clashing with it." she told Ryan as she tapped on the swatch that caught her eye.

Ryan leaned over and eyed the swatch, "Yeah, excellent choice." he went and tapped on the wall of the 3D room simulation on his iPad and tapped on the color his friend chose.

Kurenai added, "Let's say, shades of gray, silver and white color scheme for the furnishings. Oh, you can add some Victorian mirrors for the bedside, velvet and faux fur textures for the bed but keep everything elegant and clean…"

Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on Kurenai as she speaks, it may not be evident on his face but he is quite enthralled with the woman. Her thoughtfulness and proficiency as she exchanged ideas with her friend is admirable, she made sure that the rooms are designed around everyone's personality while prioritizing their comfort. That's why he did not hesitate to leave his room on her hands and he was right, her choices for his room is something that he's comfortable with and he's looking forward to the results.

Kurenai continued to discuss the designs with Ryan while her guests from the Feudal era watched curiously and are busy getting acquainted with ice cream, which she's glad they're enjoying as much as she does. Though she found Sesshoumaru flinching because it was too cold on his teeth while Inuyasha vocally complained about it. The kids are enjoying it a lot as expected.

Another half an hour passed before they were able to finalize everything.

"Okay, we've got everything pretty much covered now." Ryan scooped his stuff up and shoved it into his bag, "I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you weren't a famous musician, you would be an amazing interior designer, doll."

"It was easy because I've known them for a while so I have an inkling as to what they like." she answered.

"I'll pop in later to take the measurements." he tucked his materials into his bag.

"That would be perfect. Thank you Ry." she wasn't able to stop a huge yawn from escaping her lips, her eyelids feel like bags of cement, "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Doll, you should rest already, your eyes are bloodshot and it looks like you're close to losing the fight to keep them open." Ryan said full of concern as he leaned in and pressed his cheek on hers, "I'll see you later." then he turned to the guests, "I'll be back guys! Get comfortable!" he waved at them and Ren walked him to the door.

"Well that went well." she stretched and yawned again.

"Wench, go get some sleep already." Inuyasha urged her, worried about how tired she looks. Even her furry babies are whimpering at her to rest.

"Guess I should huh."

Her brother trotted towards her, "C'mon peaches, let's get you to your room."

She raised a finger before Ren can scoop her up, "Wait brother, sleeping arrangements." she said, looking their guests over.

Ren sighed, "Peaches, I'll take care of it." but she pouted at him, "You've been traveling to the Feudal era way too long that you forgot we have two bunk beds at the guest bedroom. I'll have Sango, Rin, Shippo and Sesshoumaru stay there. If that's alright with you guys?" the brother's question is mostly directed at Sesshoumaru and when he did not respond, Ren assumed he's fine with it, "Miroku and Inuyasha can stay with me."

"I'd love to offer my room but…" she said apologetically.

"You need to rest with no disturbances wench, we'll manage. Hell, you can have us all sleep on the floor and we will be comfortable." Inuyasha added.

The siblings looked at each other, there's a certain weight to the look that confused their guests.


	13. Trauma

**THIRTEEN**

"It's not that Inuyasha, you will never be a disturbance to her." Ren took a deep breath, "It may not seem like it because she's sweet and all but sis is not very good with people touching her."

They all stared at Kurenai in confusion, "But we've been carrying her and she seems fine." the hanyou cited.

"She is, she had to learn to endure it because she knows she can't live her life avoiding any type of contact but she just can't relax and sleeping beside anybody is out of the question, it's been like that for fourteen years." they were shocked by the revelation, they've been traveling with Kurenai for almost a year now and they didn't know about this. They didn't pay any mind to the distance she requires when they camp in the Feudal era.

"What brought about this condition?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"A tragedy happened when we were kids, the trauma of it has been engraved in her mind and her body. It took her months to finally stop freaking out whenever somebody touches her, including me." They can see the pain in her red eyes at the last sentence as she patted Nimbus' head, "She can only be fully relaxed with the dogs."

Shippo approached her tears welling up in his eyes, "Are you okay mama? I'm sorry, I always cling to you."

"Oh sweetie," she rested a gentle yet firm hand on his cheek, "You don't have to apologize, I'm happy when you cling to me alright?"

Sesshoumaru realized the truth in Ren's revelation when he sensed Kurenai's tension spike and how it disappeared when she took her hand back from the kitsune's face, all the while keeping a straight face.

Kurenai looked at her friends, "There's no need for you guys to worry. Having this condition has its challenges but I refuse to let it consume me." she smiled at them, "I believe you guys can attest to that?"

They smiled at her, "Of course." Miroku said, virtually proud of his friend's resilience.

"Alright, let's get you upstairs." he took his sister's arm and draped it over his shoulder.

Both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru felt it this time, her heartbeat picking up and her distressed aura from the skin to skin contact.

 _What the hell happened to her?_ for the very first time, the brothers had the same thought.

"I'll see you later guys. Get comfortable." she said as they headed for the stairs, their furry companions following behind.

"Brother, do we have enough toiletries?" she asked, trying to get her mind off the contact.

"I already checked. We have plenty of brand-new towels, underwear, and toiletries. They'll be enough 'till tomorrow."

"Let's have them take a bath so they'd feel relaxed." Kurenai peeked down from the staircase, "Sango! Rin! Come with us! Take a bath in my room." she called out.

Sango turned to Rin and offered her hand, "Let's go Rin?"

Rin looked at Sesshoumaru, "Go ahead." the young girl took the demon slayer's hand and climbed up the stairs.

"Wow. So beautiful." Rin gasped as she stepped into Kurenai's room.

"I think so too." the miko agreed as she lied down on her king size bed that's large enough to have all of her dogs lie down with her. Surrounded by a sea of warm fur, she has no need for the comforter.

Her room is a beautiful balance of calm, cozy and elegant. Cream coated walls breathed warmth into the room, her bed leaned on the light brown accent wall fenced by floor-to-ceiling, diamond cut mirror panels mounted with floating bedside tables made of polished dark wood frame and white lustrous drawer with bedside lamps hanging from the ceiling. The bed's headboard is upholstered in burgundy subtle sheen satin manipulated to look like an elegantly wrapped gift.

Embedded on the wall across the bed is a huge flat screen TV and a fireplace. It's also decked with a few floating shelves where a few frames, figurines, and books sat. On the left side of the bed is a reading nook by the window overlooking the backyard and the Los Angeles skyline draped with white, ethereal curtain. On the right of the bed is the floor-to-ceiling mirror doors that opens to her walk-in closet while the door adjacent to it led to her bathroom where they can hear water running.

"Your room is amazing Kurenai." Sango gushed, she's been here earlier but she's still in awe. Her toes played with the edges of the luscious caramel-colored rug that stretched from under the bed.

Kurenai smiled, "Thank you, Sango." Zodiac leapt onto her bed and nuzzled her, she rubbed his head while keeping her eyes on Sango and Rin, "Ren will teach you how to use the bathroom instead of me, I hope that's okay." her brother emerged from the bathroom as she said this.

"Yes of course. Thank you Kurenai for taking care of everything. Go ahead and rest." the slayer urged softly.

"Thank you Lady Kurenai." Rin smiled at her and Kurenai was caught off guard for a second before smiling at the young girl.

"I'd tell you not to call me lady but if that makes you comfortable sweetheart then it's fine. You're welcome." she let out another yawn, "Take your time you two and feel at home." she shifted to her side and snaked an arm around Zodiac, and just like that, she succumbed to fatigue while her brother ushered Sango and Rin to the bathroom.

Ren walked out of Kurenai's bathroom leaving Sango and Rin to bathe, he can't help but chuckle at the sight of his sister sound asleep surrounded by her furry babies but he's also grateful that she came home safe after a dangerous encounter at the Feudal era.

He treaded lightly out of the room to go back to the guys for the next order of business. He had Sesshoumaru use the bathroom in the guest room while he took Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippo to his bathroom and he is quite pleased at the look of awe on their faces when they stepped into his room.

Unlike his sister's warm and cozy room, Ren's is very masculine and cold and drips with luxury with its dominantly grey walls with a pop of marble accent wall where his bed's decadent black leather tufted headboard rested upon. Contemporary metallic bedside lamps sat atop a black polished bedside table while woven metal art piece in silver occupied the wall on the right side of his bed and crystals dripped from the chandelier on the ceiling.

The wall across his bed is also embedded with a flat screen TV and a fireplace; the floating rectangular shelf underneath the TV is decked with stacks of DVDs and a DVD player. Glossy black sliding doors on the right side of the bed opens up to the enormous bathroom with his walk-in closet accessible from there.

Once their guests are done with their bath, he encouraged them to get some sleep. Miroku and Inuyasha reluctantly agreed to occupy Ren's satin-covered bed however, Inuyasha asserted that in the evening, he will sleep on the futon that Ren mentioned to them earlier, refusing to let the master of the house to sleep on the floor.

On the other group's end, despite Sango and Shippo feeling nervous about sharing a room with Sesshoumaru and the daiyoukai feeling out of place in a foreign sleeping set up, with a little nudge from Ren, they chose their sleeping space. Sesshoumaru took the bottom bunk and Rin took the top bunk of one bed, while Shippo took the top and Sango the bottom of another bunk bed.

It wasn't long until the exhaustion of the events caught up with the residents of the Feudal era and they all fell asleep.

Ren stretched over the reclining chair in the living room, pushing it all the way back then laced his fingers behind his head. His eyes roamed around the house, the shift in the atmosphere is apparent; it's not just his and his sister's warmth flowing in it but their guests' as well, plus an air of excitement. It's been a while since things have been this lively.

"Not bad." he uttered to himself before leaping out of his seat and heading to the kitchen. He needs to plan for dinner.


	14. The Worried Voice, The Forgotten Voice

**FOURTEEN**

The sun hovered at the horizon as it sets on the eventful day at the Moretti household and everyone, except for Kurenai who is still sound asleep, gathered at the great room as supper approaches. The three demons sat comfortably in the living room in their real form with their eyes glued on the TV along with Rin and the dogs sans Zodiac who stayed by Kurenai's side. Miroku and Sango chose to stay in the kitchen and help Ren with making dinner.

"This place is really amazing." Sango gasped as she peeked at the ceramic pot holding the roast in the oven.

"And we thought the things Kurenai brought back to us before were extraordinary." Miroku added while watching a pot of simmering heavy cream with rosemary and garlic that Ren planned to use for mashed potatoes.

"Oh? The thermos, thermometer and the first aid? That's nothing my friends, there's so much more." Ren said while folding melted butter into the potatoes. It was at this time that Zodiac's frantic barks rang in the house and Ren quickly turned the burner off and dashed to his sister's room.

"What's wrong Zodiac?" Ren flicked the lights on and found the husky skimming his muzzle at Kurenai's cheek, whimpering. His sister still laid on her side, not snuggling the canine anymore but seems to be in a deep sleep even with Zodiac barking like crazy over her. He sat beside her and touched her forehead gently, her temperature seems fine.

"What happened?!" Inuyasha spat as he got inside, the others followed anxiously.

Ren shook his head, "I don't know. She seems fine."

"The dog is alarmed that the miko has not awoken." Sesshoumaru calmly declared from the door.

"It is alarming that she's not reacting to Zodiac barking beside her." Miroku said.

"She didn't even flinch when the doctor checked on her foot this afternoon." Ren added as worry begins rising in his chest.

The demon Lord's eyes observed the woman in slumber with his cold, apathetic eyes in contemplation and once again spoke, "Her heartbeat is stable and her scent is normal. The magic stripped a great amount of her spiritual and physical energy, she's just drained. "

Much to their confusion, Zodiac suddenly growled and whined at Sesshoumaru.

( _The powerful dog demon that mother told me about. Your abilities are impressive but are you certain she's alright? She hasn't moved an inch since she closed her eyes._ ) The dog's words echoed within his mind.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru. Is the dog speaking to you?" Inuyasha asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Hn."

- _You dare question this Sesshoumaru's honor?_ \- a scowl painted his face.

{ _He's just worried about his parent, you should know how inus are. You already decided to comfort him, why stop now?_ } a feral voice he hasn't heard in decades suddenly rumbled within him.

- _This Sesshoumaru is not comforting anybody, I just simply want him to stop whining._ \- he said firmly at his beast before bringing his attention back to the dog.

- _Like I said, her heartbeat is stable and this Sesshoumaru can tell from her scent that there is no threat to her life. The miko is just in a deep, peaceful slumber. Just wait until she fully regains her strength._ -

Zodiac looked down at Kurenai's sleeping form, ( _Thank goodness._ ) he said in relief and licked her cheek.

Seeing the situation under control, Sesshoumaru walked out of the room.

"Let's leave her to rest then." Ren pushed himself off the bed, "Come on Zodiac. Let's go eat." he summoned but then smiled at the reluctance of the dog to leave Kurenai's side but eventually leapt off and went downstairs with Ren.


	15. Homesick

**FIFTEEN**

They enjoyed a lively dinner. Ren had fun teaching them about the modern era and told them a lot of random funny stories.

They also learned more about their red-eyed friend and her brother. The siblings have always been diligent, juggling work and studies when they were younger. Ren took up filmmaking, which led to him having to explain computers, cameras, and movies to their guests while Kurenai on the other hand, took up architecture and some interior designing courses and much to their amazement, it was her who came up with the concept and aesthetic of the house.

He also told them that while it may seem like they've been leading a life of luxury, they've actually just moved into the house over a year ago after sharing a modest apartment for years. They also do all of the housework on their own, however, they have enlisted a cleaning company to thoroughly clean the gigantic house once a week as the siblings can only maintain certain parts of it due to their busy schedule.

Of course, the day will not end without their guests asking about Ren's tattoos, which has been an item of great interest for them especially the prominent half sleeve tattoo on his right bicep and the cross with wings on his left forearm.

The Moretti brother has six tattoos in total: the half sleeve koi fish tattoo representing his and Kurenai's journey through life, the cross wrapped in angel wings tattoo with silhouettes of small sparrows on his forearm, their band's logo which is the Roman numeral number two on the base of his neck, a running Chinese script on his right torso with the quote: Rise and rise again until lambs become lions; a quote which he dedicates to his strong-willed sister, and lastly, a small compass tattoo on his ankle representing his love for travel and his strong conviction for his judgments in life.

Everybody wondered if it hurt when he explained how they were applied and he admitted that it is painful and the levels of pain differs depending on the location of the tattoo but after a while, you just get used to it. He added that aside from Kurenai's wrist and foot tattoos; the latter is yet to be seen by Sesshoumaru and Rin, she has two more.

Olive green eyes flew to the window, "Guys, look outside. It's one of the best things in this house."

They all peeked outside and they held their breath. The horizon is painted in orange and yellow hues bleeding out to purple and navy blue in the vast skies and the Los Angeles city skyline sparkled from the illuminated buildings and homes, streetlights and cruising cars, just like a lavish sheet of black velvet scattered with precious gems.

"Wow!" everybody except Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru gasped in awe as they soak in the view.

"Kurenai loves this view so much, she loves the city lights at night." Ren told them.

"What's not to love." Miroku smiled.

"Everything here is beautiful!" Rin gushed towards Ren.

"Yeah." he smiled at the girl before his eyes landed on Sango and Miroku, "So Sango, Miroku, are you two an item or you're just really close?"

"Item?" Sango prodded.

"Are you a couple?" Ren rephrased and the two people gawked at him with bulging eyes.

"What makes you think that?" the demon slayer said as she blushed furiously, "Didn't you remember how I just slapped him earlier?"

Green eyes gleamed in amusement, "I do but the vibe or aura you two give off together suggests otherwise. Besides, there's a belief that a boy and a girl that bickers all the time actually like each other."

"Inuyasha and lady Kurenai bicker all the time, does it mean they like each other?" Rin asked suddenly.

Ren and the rest of Inuyasha's group chuckled at the question.

"No. No way. Inuyasha is still very much hung up on Kikyo and Kurenai will not agree on being a stand-in." Miroku waved his hand side to side as he spoke.

"Exactly. Besides Rin, their aura is different from Sango and Miroku. Inuyasha and sis are more like brother and sister." Ren added.

"That's right Rin. Mama won't be a stand in for a clay pot." Shippo declared.

"Ohh..." Rin said before wolfing down a spoonful of ice cream.

"What did you just say you kitsune brat?!" Inuyasha barked and slammed a hand on the table.

"Inuyasha! Stop your insolence during meals!" Sesshoumaru, who was silent during most of the conversation scolded from his seat and the hanyou stared daggers at him.

"Inuyasha, it will be to your best interest if you don't ruin the dining set and tableware. Kurenai will sit you 'till next year if you do." Ren warned set his sights on Sango.

"Well Sango, if you're not with Miroku, how about me?" he winked and Sango flushed red once more.

Miroku was stunned, his friend's brother really _is_ a womanizer! Miroku immediately went into contemplation on how he can stop him from making a move Sango, he may be mischievous with her all the time but he really does love her. But can he possibly win over a guy who has the charisma of the modern times?

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, no wonder his miko friend can deal with Miroku, she's had a lifetime of practice, "Aren't you popular with womanizers Sango." he sneered.

Sango glared at Inuyasha before looking at Ren, "What the? Did you really think that I'll agree to that?!" she sputtered.

Seeing the look on Sango's face, Ren can't keep a straight face anymore and broke into a chuckle, "My, my, aren't you guys fun. I'm just kidding, my sister would kill me if I drag you to my antics. But your reactions are rather amusing."

They stared at Ren, stunned for a moment but eventually, Miroku and Sango both sighed in relief.

After dinner, Ren invited them out into the backyard to further enjoy the view and the evening breeze. Rin, Shippo and Sango sat on the edge of the illuminated pool, dipping their feet into the cold water, Ren and Miroku sat on the sunbeds while the dog demons had the same idea of settling on the branches of the oak tree towering over the house. Inuyasha in his competitive nature, sat on the branch higher than where his brother is.

They decided to retire for the night as the wind got chilly. Well most of them…

Rin skipped past Inuyasha who is headed into the house with the others, "Lord Sesshoumaru! Don't you want to sleep yet?" she called from the foot of the tree.

Sesshoumaru looked down at his ward, "Go and rest for the night Rin. I'll retire to the sleeping chamber later." he told the young girl.

Very much used to this behavior, Rin chirped, "Okay!" before turning to run towards the house.

Ren stood by the folding doors that separate the backyard from the indoors and watched the daiyoukai comfortably leaning on the trunk of the oak tree and looking up the night sky. He figured the dog demon is experiencing homesickness and culture shock, based on Kurenai's stories, Feudal Japan is rich with natural landscapes which has dramatically diminished in this day and age especially here in the city. Sitting on the oak tree might be helping him feel at home.

He decided to leave the great demon alone, leaving one panel of the folding doors open when he decides to come inside.

While Sesshoumaru basked in the sound of the rustling leaves around him and the familiar roughness of the tree bark pressing on his back, he is irritated by the hint of smog in the air he's breathing. It's not as strong as when they were downhill but it's still unpleasant. He stayed a little longer before finally jumping off the tree and going back into the house to retire for the night.


	16. She Awakes

**SIXTEEN**

The sheets shuffled as its occupant stretched, "Nngh..." Kurenai moaned before actually opening her eyes, it took a while to register that she's in her room in her own time, banished with her friends from the Feudal era with no way of going back after the well disappeared.

A whimper and a fuzzy muzzle gently nudging her cheek pulled her out of her thoughts. She smiled and while rubbing the furry neck, she whispered, "There, there Zodiac. Mama's okay." she crawled to switch the lamp on and found her phone on the bedside table and a bottle of water with a note under it. There's also a paper bag at the foot of the table.

She grabbed her phone and her eyes widened as she stared at the screen: quarter to four... IN THE MORNING! The hell?! She's been asleep for more or less fourteen hours! The spells really did a number on her.

She tried to plant her sprained foot on the floor, it still stings but the pain decreased significantly. She grabbed the water bottle and drank while reading her brother's note:

/Peaches,

Just in case you wake up in the middle of the night, here's a bottle of water. You've been sleeping like a log, even when Dr. Keller checked your foot! He gave you a walking boot, it's in the paper bag.

Wake up soon sis. We're worried about you. Zodiac went nuts, terrified that something happened to you. We hope to see you at breakfast! ;)

Ren./

Kurenai smiled and pulled the husky into a hug, "Sorry for scaring you buddy. I'm fine now." She giggled as Zodiac licked her cheeks.

She pulled the boot out if the paper bag and her nose wrinkled at how bulky it is but she'd rather wear it than be waited on hand and foot. She pushed herself off the bed, seeking balance from the wall and putting as little pressure on her foot as possible, she headed for the bathroom. She's been dying to take a bath.

After indulging in a refreshing bath, the red-eyed dressed in her comfy blue oversized boyfriend shirt and black leggings and secured the boot on her foot; she can't help but feel like a Transformer robot wearing the contraption. She and Zodiac then headed downstairs to quickly work on silencing the incessant growling of her stomach.

The darkness of the house is faintly illuminated by the dancing neon blue waves reflected from the pool. It's enough to guide her down the stairs eventhough she knows the house like the back of her hand. She stopped at the end of the steps to bask in the view of the glittering city skyline she loves before heading to the kitchen.

She's always filled with joy whenever she sets foot in the kitchen, it's one of her most favorite places in the house because of her love for cooking. She meticulously chose every item to achieve an elegant and sleek finish; from the luscious dark wood cabinets that contrasts beautifully with the light hardwood floors and white marble countertops, to the frosted glass doors of the overhead cabinets, the backsplash decked by strips of mirrors, white tiles and black marble and finally, the shiny, metal clad appliances.

The kitchen is right next to the dining area, where Sesshoumaru is sitting. _Wait, What?!_ Kurenai almost jumped out of her skin at the sight of the daiyoukai sitting at the dining table in his demon form so early in the morning eyeing her with his apathetic amber orbs.

"Geez Sesshoumaru, you startled me. How long have you been there?" she pressed her palm on her chest to calm down.

The daiyoukai only moved his head to look away from her, he did it so gracefully and Kurenai can't believe it, _How can looking away be so elegant?!_ she thought before pouring herself a glass of water.

"Why are you up so early? Was the bed not comfortable enough?" she asked but when he didn't respond, she stared him down, waiting for an answer.

Sesshoumaru felt the red eyes burning a hole through him. He closed his eyes and spoke, "The bed is comfortable enough. This Sesshoumaru however, feels out of place."

She smiled at him, feeling sympathy for his situation, "I remember feeling the same way when I first arrived at the Feudal era, especially with all the creatures there, I can't seem to relax but you'll get used to it eventually."

"This Sesshoumaru have no intentions of getting used to this place." Intense amber eyes stared at her.

"I understand that you're itching to go back to your own era, and we'll search for a solution urgently but it's not a bad idea to take advantage of this little adventure." She was going through the fruit basket when her stomach growled once again.

The daiyoukai's eyebrows stitched in annoyance, "Do something about that stomach of yours woman. I've been hearing that disturbing sound even before you came down."

Kurenai felt herself blush up to her ears, _Why this arrogant overgrown pup!_ She screamed in her head, "I'm working on it okay?" she snapped while peeling a banana and took a bite before opening the fridge and scanning its contents.

Sesshoumaru's eyes skimmed over Kurenai's thoughtful form in front of the fridge, amazed that she's walking swimmingly albeit she limps every now and then. Color returned to her face after it went pale from all the magic she used yesterday and her waist-length hair is still damp from her bath with a few droplets lightly soaking her shirt. The top she's wearing seems a bit loose for her frame but it made her look effortlessly beautiful while the black fabric clinging tightly to her long, supple legs showed off their perfect shape. _Wait. Where the hell did that come from? This Sesshoumaru does not find a human woman attractive!_ Though she does smell good, her scent penetrated his senses once she stepped out of her room: fresh citrus, dainty pink lotus and calming sandalwood. She reminded him of spring mornings; laid back, refreshing, inviting. God, he's getting carried away now, what the hell?!

The daiyoukai awoke from him thoughts when he saw her set a foreign equipment on the counter and proceeded to hack through the oranges from the fruit basket. His curiosity is poking at him to get familiar with the object and after debating with himself, he walked over to the breakfast bar and occupied one of the stools. He's getting bored from sitting at the dining table anyway, might as well amuse himself with watching the woman shuffle through the kitchen.


	17. Her Name in His Voice

**SEVENTEEN**

"What is that miko?" he prodded coldly as he watched the yellow-orange extract wash into the clear container when she pressed and twisted the orange on the equipment.

Kurenai looked at the daiyoukai, his face may be stoic but his eyes glowed with curiosity and it's adorable, "It's called a juicer. It's used to squeeze the liquid out of the fruit which we call juice in this time." After filling out two pitchers with fresh juice, she popped them into the fridge and walked over to the coffee maker pouring in ground coffee beans and water.

"Zodiac!" she called out as she walked away from the machine. Sesshoumaru stared in awe as the dog pressed something on the foreign object and got it to work.

"You've got quite an intelligent companion." he can't help but comment.

"He is." She began slicing an apple and cut a few small pieces, "Zodiac!" She tossed a piece in the air and the dog swiftly caught it, doing it a few more times before munching on her own share.

"Would you like me to toss you some?" she offered, stopping herself from smiling when he glared daggers at her.

"Are you expecting this Sesshoumaru to do the same thing he did?"

"Why not? It's fun! And at this distance, you just have to open your mouth and it will go right in." her eyes twinkled with amusement at the low growl resonating from the daiyoukai but she's smart enough to know not to push her luck too far.

The room fell silent with only the sound of slicing apples breaking it then a plate of sliced apples slid in front of the daiyoukai, "It doesn't feel right if I'm the only one eating."

Sesshoumaru caught a glimpse of her foot as she walked back to the other side of the kitchen island, he noticed the big, black shoe on her injured foot which he figured is helping her move around despite her injury.

"How's your foot?" he asked as Kurenai began peeling a carrot.

She glanced at her foot, "It's healing well. Thanks to this boot I can finally move around… with caution of course, 'cause it's still tender. How's the arm?" she asked back.

He flexed the fingers of his newly regenerated arm, "It's functioning properly miko." he heard a thud and looked up to see that she stopped what she's doing and has both her hands pressed on the counter one coiled around a knife while she glared at him, _What is her problem?_

She looked up the ceiling as if asking the Heavens for patience, "Can't you just…" she sighed, lifting and dropping her hand while shaking her head in frustration as she asked the daiyoukai, "call me by my name? It's not that hard is it? Your name is more of a mouthful than mine yet I say it everytime."

Despite appearing to be unaffected by Kurenai's impassioned speech, Sesshoumaru is actually quite amused seeing her infuriated towards him, _the_ Lord Sesshoumaru and if he didn't know any better, he'd think that she's actually itching to use the knife in her hand against him. / _I'd like to see her try._ / he smirked inwardly, not letting his stoic face down.

But the woman is correct, she does deserve to be called by her name. Not just because she gave him his arm back. No, she didn't even mention that. She deserves it because of the strength of character and dignity she possessed that not many humans have.

"Very well... Kurenai." he let her name roll off his tongue and was caught off guard at the satisfaction he felt from the way her name sounded in his voice.

It also had significant effect on the owner of the name, she felt a thrill run down her spine hearing her name in his deep voice. It wasn't a chill from his cold way of speaking, rather an unfamiliar warmth tingling beneath her skin, something she's never felt before. _What the hell?_ she thought.

"Th-That's good. Thank you." she managed to say as she fought to push her irregular feelings aside to concentrate on preparing a massive breakfast.

With both of them choosing to ignore the alien feelings shifting within them, Sesshoumaru and Kurenai kept mostly silent aside from when daiyoukai throws her questions about cooking equipment and cooking process.


	18. Sunrise

**EIGHTEEN**

It wasn't long before the house is perfumed with the enticing and comforting whiff of cooking. The miso soup is simmering, the fried rice is sizzling and the sausages are frying. Kurenai is busy lining bacon strips on a baking sheet when a thought crossed her mind.

"Sesshoumaru, I just remembered Jaken."

"What about him?" he asked dully as his amber pools eyed the thing Kurenai called a stove, amazed at how she can prepare multiple dishes simultaneously by herself.

"What do you mean 'What about him?'!" she mimicked his way of speaking, and the daiyoukai raised a silver brow at her, "Your retainer worships you! He's probably panicking because you disappeared!"

"That may be true, however my retainer is also aware that during this Sesshoumaru's absence, it is his responsibility to ascertain that my lands are well protected." he replied.

She thrust the baking sheet into the oven, "You seriously left everything up to him? Can he manage?" she asked wide eyed, "Don't get me wrong but someone who gets easily flustered may not be able to handle the pressures of assuming your responsibilities. I'm concerned that your kingdom might collapse especially when it's not certain when we'll be able to go back."

"There's no need to be concerned about my lands, this Sesshoumaru have gathered a small circle of individuals who would rather bite their tongues and die than betray me, that would ascertain my lands persevere and well protected in my absence."

"What if they thought you're dead?"

"There is an enchanted gem back in the Western palace that is connected to this Sesshoumaru's life force. Shall I cease to exist, that item will break and let this Sesshoumaru's demise known throughout the lands. I can feel that it is still intact right at this moment."

"Ohh... Isn't that convenient." she said with a raised brow as she started cracking eggs into a large bowl.

Kurenai's scarlet gaze found the windows and saw the daybreak upon them, she figured her brother and the others will be up soon. A thought crossed her mind but she argued with herself mentally, she knows it's not a good idea. But even so, she can't help but give in to the urge of giving it a try, it will be a necessity in the long run anyway.

With a deep breath, she started, "Sesshoumaru, I know my words may not be taken well but I would be grateful if you'd help me set up the dining table." she mentally crossed her fingers that the daiyoukai doesn't throw a fit at her request.

Appalled will be an understatement to describe what Sesshoumaru felt upon hearing her words. Did this mere human just dared to ask HIM to arrange plates on the table?!

"This isn't some form of payment for letting you stay here or anything but as you can see, I am quite occupied with the food and the table needs to be ready for breakfast." she added while bravely enduring the lord's death glare.

"You have the nerve to ask this Sesshoumaru to do something so lowly? I am not your servant, woman." he snarled.

 _Oh great, back to calling me woman again... Argh…_ Kurenai mentally pulled her hair out.

"Listen here Fluff Puff, don't lump me in with your arrogant self. I don't like ordering people around! I was merely asking with all the politeness that I have and you turn to me and say that I'm treating you as a servant?" she paused to pour the eggs into the frying pan then glared back at the demon, "If anything I'm treating you as a part of the family! Let your feet touch the ground for once! Look around, this isn't your palace! My home is a place where everybody's treated equally and with the respect that they deserve. To me, you will always be the Lord of the Western Lands, I am in no means berating your title. But with the current situation, we will have to work on living in harmony in this era."

Sesshoumaru was speechless for a lot of reasons; for one thing, the woman just gave him a pet name that made his blood boil, she called him obnoxious and she raised her voice at him, but what stunned him the most is that she called him family. He, the cold, ruthless Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands, feared by anybody he comes across—well except for this woman, her brother, Rin and his half-brother—is indiscriminately treated as family by the miko he barely had the chance to talk to in the past and even tried to kill. Her frustrated sigh shook him out of his musing.

"Never mind." she turned around and marched to the overhead cabinet.

Sesshoumaru sat still, watching her stretch to reach the tableware when his eyes landed on her injured foot. He let out a low growl, got off the stool and in a few strides he's beside the woman and took a hold of the plates she's reaching for.

Kurenai jumped at the pale, clawed hands with crimson streaks on the wrists that landed on the white plates and she stared wide eyed at the stoic Lord who's suddenly beside her setting the plates on the counter.

"Where are the silverware?" he asked without glancing at her.

"Uhm, the second drawer to your right." she pointed _they're not silver though_ , "The glasses are over here." she opened the overhead cabinet beside the plates.

Sesshoumaru remained silent as he pulled the drawer open and grabbed the utensils he needed, placed it atop the plates and headed toward the dining table.

Kurenai watched the daiyoukai elegantly move around the table from the corner of her eye while transferring the scrambled eggs onto a plate. The daiyoukai went back to the kitchen and gathered the glasses into a tray upon her suggestion and distributed them to the table.

She smiled, "Thank you, Sesshoumaru." she just got a cold glance in reply. _Well, at least he's helping even if he's just grudgingly doing it._


	19. Breakfast

**NINE**

"Morning peaches!" Ren practically sang as he and the rest of the fur balls jogged down the stairs, relieved to see his sister up and about.

"Morning brother." Kurenai replied while scraping fried rice into a serving bowl.

Sesshoumaru once again sat at the dining table with no evidence of his interaction with Kurenai nor the inexplicable tension between the two of them aside from the steaming cup of coffee in front of him.

Kurenai kind of expected the daiyoukai to be curious to try coffee when it wafted throughout the kitchen but she wasn't prepared for Sesshoumaru asking her to add half a teaspoon of sugar to the first teaspoonful she put. And cream too. She was so sure the daiyoukai would prefer black coffee but she got an adorable surprise and Sesshoumaru's moko-moko was visibly wiggling when he tasted the sweeter, creamier coffee and she fought hard not to fawn over how unintentionally cute the daiyoukai was being.

"So good to see you up and about." Ren pressed his cheek onto his sisters while the dogs began nuzzling at her leg, "These smell amazing, it's been a while since I had your cooking." he then turned to the daiyoukai and bowed slightly, "Good morning Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru responded with a curt nod. Despite that irritation he's feeling from his title being invalid in this era, he finds the siblings' effort to express their respect for his title commendable.

Ren pulled a mug from the cupboard, "As expected, right to hustling the moment you can put pressure on your foot."

"Thank God it's not that serious," Kurenai said as she bent down to greet the rest of the dogs.

"Yeah, but don't push it. Think long term especially for the anniversary concert." Ren cautioned firmly, "Dr. Keller said you need an x-ray make sure there are no broken bones so we'll pass by his clinic before going ahead with today's plans."

"I know, better safe than sorry. Are Inuyasha and Miroku awake?"

"Yeah. They should be down soon."

"Then I'll check on Sango and the kids. Take care of the fruits for me?"

"Of course."

"Thanks." Kurenai disappeared into the guestroom next to the kitchen and it wasn't long before the men heard the children cheer for a new day of adventure in the modern era.

Inuyasha and Miroku came down the stairs just as Ren placed the pitchers of juice on the table and Kurenai, Sango and the kids stepped out of the guestroom shortly after.

"Morning dog boy." red met amber as Kurenai approached the table hand-in-hand with the children.

The hanyou smirked in reply, "Morning wench." there's a shadow of relief in Inuyasha's eyes upon seeing her back to her peppy self once again.

"Are you feeling better Kurenai?" Miroku asked.

"After all that sleep? So much better!" her friends chuckled and she continued, "Plus, I can move around now." She lifted her foot with the walker boot.

They looked at her foot, in awe of how she can stand on her own a day after getting the injury, "That's great, modern medicine is incredible." Miroku commented.

"It is incredible," Ren agreed then added, "But she still needs to be careful with her steps, the injury's still there. Anyway, the breakfast sis prepared is getting cold so let's eat." He pulled a seat out for his sister while the others occupied their same seats as yesterday.

"Good morning Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin hopped on the seat beside the daiyoukai.

"Did you sleep well Rin?" the daiyoukai asked his ward.

"Un!" the young girl nodded happily.

Praises on Kurenai's cooking filled the table as they get a taste of it.

"This is delicious Kurenai." Sango commented about the bacon and sausages.

"Oh it's nothing special, anybody can cook sausages and bacon well. You just need oil and a frying pan." Kurenai replied.

"But the fried rice and miso soup are amazing too." Miroku added.

"Yeah wench. Why can't you cook like this back in our time?" Inuyasha griped in the midst of wolfing down bite after bite of the food on his plate.

"Hey, I never heard you complaining about my cooking over there and besides, how will I be able to cook properly? Even when we're at Kaede's hut we get attacked by demons. And all you ever wanted to eat was ramen." she listed down for the hanyou.

"Sis is a really good cook, she's been in-charge of cooking ever since we were young and she loves it. Why do you think we have such an amazing kitchen?" Ren nodded to the kitchen, "She chose everything that's in there and the equipment are topnotch."

Sesshoumaru mentally agreed with everyone's sentiment, the feast Kurenai made is quite delectable and after watching her prepare everything, he understood what Ren said about her loving cooking. Kurenai finds pleasure in cooking rather than treating it as a chore and despite himself, he can tell that she pours love and care for whoever will eat it into every dish she makes.

He's never met anyone who genuinely likes to take care of everybody like she does, since they arrived to this era, she's been thinking of their well-being despite her injuries.

{ _She'll be a great mother, won't she?_ } the gruff voice inside his mind suddenly stated.

/ _Nonsense!_ / he replied indignantly.

He swore he can hear the roll of his beast's eyes as it spoke, { _Sure, convince yourself that you didn't think that for one second._ }

/ _Why are you even here?_ / he snapped. His beast has been silent for decades, and it's puzzling that it's being very talkative right now.

{ _There is something here that I find very interesting..._ } the beast purred.

/ _Be amazed with this era all you want, but don't feed this Sesshoumaru with your useless blabber._ / he chided.

The beast snickered, { _This modern era is definitely a sight to behold but there's something far more fetching that caught my attention._ }

/ _I'm not in the mood for your riddles, leave!_ / he commanded.

He got a scoff in reply, { _Stop pretending like you don't know what I'm talking about, you big stuck up dog._ }

The daiyoukai let out a low growl of impatience at his beast's taunting that caught the attention of everyone at the table.

"Sesshoumaru? Is the food not to your liking?" Kurenai asked, a hint of anxiety painted her face.

"Oh, leave him be. He's just being his usual pompous self." the hanyou spat which didn't help his friend's anxiety at all.

Sesshoumaru ignored his brother's contempt and addressed the miko, "The food is wonderful Kurenai, it's well prepared."

Wide eyes stared at Sesshoumaru in awe. Did they just hear the daiyoukai call Kurenai by her name?

"'Kurenai?' when did that happen?" Inuyasha's eyes narrowed in suspicion, switching his gaze from his brother to his best friend.

Kurenai shrugged her shoulder, "It just did." she looked at Sesshoumaru, "Are you sure?" she tilted her head down and looked intently into his amber eyes.

"Yes." he answered firmly and the crease on her eyebrows finally smoothed out and her lips broke into a smile.

"That's good then." she took a sip of her coffee while Sesshoumaru mentally cursed at his beast for putting him through that predicament.

The siblings told them of their plans for the day; after stopping by Dr. Keller's clinic to further check Kurenai's foot, they will be buying clothes and other necessities.

But the siblings shocked them when they learned that due to their work, they will be going with them to a faraway city called New York tomorrow and what's even more shocking is they will be riding the vehicle called an airplane; a vehicle that the people of this era use to travel through the skies without any magic. The capabilities of the humans in this era are astounding.

After enjoying the feast Kurenai made, the siblings took their guests to their bedrooms to get ready for their shopping trip.


	20. Rin's Request

**TWENTY**

Kurenai can only imagine the struggle her brother is going through right now while dressing up the men from over five hundred years ago in today's clothing, especially the two dog demons.

She on the other hand, had fun. Especially now, watching Rin happily twirl about by the windows of the living room dressed in a crisp white sleeveless dress with a navy blue bow on the chest with three navy blue horizontal stripes on the skirt's hem, a pair of red doll shoes on her feet and a gold necklace with a snowflake pendant sparkling around her neck.

"Rin!" Kurenai called out to the young girl and her fanned out skirt dropped when she stopped to look at her, "Let me fix your hair sweetheart." she tapped the empty space of the couch in front of her and Rin skipped to her direction and hopped on the couch.

Sango smiled as she watched Kurenai's fingers weave gently through Rin's ebony hair. If she didn't know better, she would think they're mother and daughter.

"Uhm… Lady Kurenai?" Rin said softly with her small back still facing Kurenai.

"Yes Rin?" Kurenai asked as she secured the waterfall braid and noticed the girl's shoulders shift nervously. She place a hand on each of Rin's shoulder in efforts to calm her fidgeting and gently turned the child towards her, "What is it sweetie?"

Rin's eyes are glued to her laced fingers resting on her lap, her thumbs rubbing over each other, "I was wondering…" she gazed up, her eyes bright and hopeful, "if maybe I can call you mama just like Shippo does?"

Kurenai and Sango gasped at the sudden request.

The request didn't really come as much of a surprise to Sango though, her friend really has that charm to her because of her natural instinct to take care of people and maybe for Rin, sharing a connection with Kurenai such as the two of them being orphans pulled the young girl to the miko even more.

Kurenai on the other hand is both surprised and honored by the request. She didn't think that Rin would feel that way towards her and she couldn't possibly say no to those round puppy dog eyes but still…

She smiled at the child, "I'd be happy if you do sweetie but you need to ask Sesshoumaru if he'll allow you to."

The young girl grinned, "It's not gonna be a problem! He'll agree to it I'm sure!"

"Who will agree to what?" Ren's playful voice rang from the stairs as he and the rest of the guys finally came down.

Rin turned around and her chocolate eyes caught the form of her beloved Lord, "Lord Sesshoumaru! It's okay if I call Lady Kurenai 'mama' right?" she raced over to the foot of the stairs, waiting for the daiyoukai as he came down.

If not for the excessive grace he possessed, Sesshoumaru would have tumbled over the final steps of the stairs upon hearing his ward's request.

The room is filled with stunned silence and all eyes are on Sesshoumaru and Rin, anxious for how the daiyoukai would respond to his ward. He's basically Rin's father and for her to propose to call a human woman her mother, must be a disagreeable idea to the proud demon Lord of the Western Lands.

Sesshoumaru threw Kurenai an icy stare and an unspoken question, "She asked me and I told her I'd be happy if she does but she must ask you first." she replied, as she fought not to let his intense eyes intimidate her.

Gazing back down at his ward, the daiyoukai's face is vacant of the turmoil in his head. Rin's request is astonishing, but more than that is the fact that he does not have any opposing feelings about her considering the human woman as her mother. In fact, it felt like the most natural thing in the world and he is most perplexed by why that is.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin's voice snapped Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts and one look into her expectant eyes and he knew there's only one answer he could give.

"Do as you wish Rin." Sesshoumaru gave his approval, much to Rin's delight and the shock of everybody else.

"Really?! Yehey!" the young girl dashed into Kurenai's arms and hugged her new mother tightly, "Mama!"

Sesshoumaru watched with inexplicable satisfaction as Rin reveled in being wrapped in the arms of her new 'mother'.

Kurenai ran a hand over her new daughter's hair, "Yes Rin. Thank you for deeming me worthy of such role sweetie." she smiled and looked up to find Sesshoumaru watching them and her stomach fluttered the moment her carmine orbs met his amber ones. His face is glacial as always however, his usual icy gold pools shifted to a warmer shade and it felt exhilirating to her. And for the first time in her life, Kurenai thought: _I want those eyes to look at me while they change into colors nobody else has seen._

It shocked and confused Kurenai to have this kind of possessive thought since she's never felt this way towards anyone and even more so since she's having them towards Sesshoumaru of all people. But before she can contemplate further, Inuyasha's grumbling bulldozed through her thoughts.

"Whatever wench, let's just go already." Inuyasha's not as touched by Kurenai and Rin's heartwarming scene as the others in the room, not when it seems that a bridge is being built between Kurenai and Sesshoumaru. First, he's calling her by her name, and now he's allowed his ward who's basically his daughter call her 'mama', and he's not liking it one bit.

Kurenai straightened up from where she's hugging Rin, "I need to wait for Ryan, we have a few things to discuss. Just relax for a bit, he'll be here any minute now."

Rin hopped back in front of Sesshoumaru, "Here Lord Sesshoumaru! Look at what mama gave me to wear! It's sooo pretty!" she twirled around a few times to show off her dress.

"Hn." he acknowledged abruptly.

Rin also lifted her necklace's pendant, "And this my Lord! Mama said I could keep it, it's so beautiful!"

Golden eyes converged on the precious jewelry, "It is." he said before eyes flew to the miko sitting on the couch fondly watching Rin and realized his ward is fortunate to have gained such a generous mother figure. Not only for the material things she willingly give, but the genuine care she has for those around her; despite her anxiety towards being touched, it didn't stop Kurenai from genuinely hugging Rin back.

Sesshoumaru can't help but drink in Kurenai's form as well. She looked simply radiant with her hair flowing freely down her waist, her form draped in a burgundy cardigan over a plain white tank top, a pair of black trousers with elastic cuffs and a black sneaker on her left foot and her walker boot on the right. He's quite surprised to see the numerous stud earrings on her ears; three on the left and two on the right that added an edge to her already striking beauty. A black braided bracelet and black leather watch also coiled around her wrists.

It really is beyond the daiyoukai why his eyes can't seem to get enough of the miko. He's had a line of stunning demonesses blatantly offering to be his mate and here he is captivated by a human woman.


	21. Fashion Statement

**TWENTY ONE**

The men of the Feudal era stood awkwardly under Kurenai's gaze as she looked them over from head-to-toe in their modern outfits.

She smiled giddily as she looked at Shippo, "Shippo! You look very cute sweetie!"

"Really mama?" the kitsune smiled and looked down at his clothes; a navy blue unbuttoned shirt over a plain white t-shirt, a pair of cuffed jeans and dark brown slip-ons. He also has his demon-feature-hiding bracelet on.

"Yeah!" she gave him a thumbs up before once again setting her sights on the men.

"I assume you had a hard time brother?" she asked Ren who smiled and shook his head in confirmation.

"Oh, I'm so looking forward to shopping now." he replied sarcastically and she chuckled as he headed to the kitchen. Her brother is as handsome as always in a gunmetal button-up shirt tucked under a pair of light blue Levi's and black slip on shoes. A pair of sunglasses hung on his shirt, a leather and silver necklace on his neck and his black digital watch on his wrist.

"You said it, I've been worried since yesterday."

She eyed Miroku in a cream long sleeve shirt with black horizontal stripes running from his chest down to the hem, paired with black jeans and blue-gray sneakers. The sleeves of the shirt are gathered up to his elbows adding a bit of an edge to his look.

"How are those pants Miroku?" she asked with a grin.

The monk's brows raised, looking down on his outfit in contemplation, "The material and the fit feels a little weird but it's starting to feel comfortable."

"Well, it will have to. That's one of the essential outfits here." then added, "Besides you look good in it." It's true, her monk friend actually carried himself quite well despite being uncomfortable.

"Keh!" her favorite hanyou sneered and her gaze shifted to him.

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Jealous Inuyasha?"

"Like hell!" Inuyasha barked, his fists balled inside the front pocket of the black pullover hoodie he's wearing that says 'BROOKLYN' across his chest; the dark color of the clothing highlighted his flowing silver hair. It's paired with blue jeans and white sneakers. The outfit actually suit him better than expected, he looked younger, the centuries he's lived and the battles he fought not weighing on his face.

"Stop staring wench!" the hanyou's had enough with his friend's probing stare.

Her eyes flickered with amusement, "Who would've known you clean up pretty well, dog boy." she watched as Inuyasha's cheeks glowed a hint of pink, though it didn't stay long.

"Shut up! This freaking thing is so restricting!" he grasped the side of his jeans.

She rolled her eyes, "Oh you'll live. You won't be leaping around here anyway, and besides, you bully me into wearing traditional clothes in your era. So shut it!"

"Took me half an hour to make him wear shoes, sis." Ren chuckled at the memory before gulping down a glass of water.

"No surprise there, he's been prancing around the Feudal era barefoot. His calluses are as thick as the soles of the sneakers." chuckles rang in the room, even Sesshoumaru found amusement at her words despite it not showing on his face.

"Shut up wench!" Inuyasha growled.

Kurenai ignored his outburst and her red eyes finally landed on Sesshoumaru who scowled under her appraisal, "Man, don't you make those clothes look expensive." she praised moments later.

The daiyoukai elegantly filled out the simple olive green long sleeve Henley shirt paired with off-white khaki pants and dark brown boat shoes. His demon-feature hiding bracelet gleamed on his right wrist.

Even Kurenai who has lived her life uninterested in men felt her cheeks and ears heat up as her eyes roamed over the daiyoukai's form. With two of the buttons of the shirt undone and sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his sex appeal rose to a level that should be illegal.

She caught herself from treading potentially dangerous waters, _Geez, Kurenai! Freaking behave!_ She cleared her throat, "That shirt really suits him, let's get more of that." she said as casually as she can.

Sesshoumaru felt a pinch of pride upon Kurenai's compliment on how well he wore the clothes and also curiosity as he caught the hint of red that painted her cheeks and the tops of her ears, it didn't stay there for long but he actually found the image innocently adorable despite himself.

Nevertheless, the regal daiyoukai also feels uncomfortable with his current garb. He still greatly prefers luscious silk flowing on his skin but is also opposed to standing out like a sore thumb in the crowd hence, he will endure it but not without getting the miko to work quickly on getting them back to their own era.

"Ah," Kurenai reached into her pocket, "Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, please wear these. I cast a spell on them earlier." three silver ear cuffs sat on her palm, "With the current environment, it will be brutal for you guys outside since you have heightened senses. If you wear these, it will tone down the noise and the smell that surround you."

Kurenai felt bad seeing the hesitation in the dog demons' faces, their senses mean the world to them and it's second nature to always scan their surroundings as territorial demons.

She smiled, hoping it could somehow reassure them, "I made it so that your instincts will be more sensitive on ill-intentions against you or your pack so do not worry about being caught off guard. I'm really sorry to put you through this but I don't want things to be difficult for you guys out there."

Trusting the red-eyed's words, the dog demons clipped the ornament on their ears and felt the effects instantly as the distinctive sounds they usually hear get muffled and the potent scents that constantly assault them also weakened.

"Shippo sweetie, you have to wear one as well." she called to the kitsune and clipped a cuff on his ear.

"By the way Sango, you look really good!" Ren voiced his compliment for the demon slayer from the midnight blue ottoman he occupied.

Kurenai's clothes fit Sango quite well; a coral drape tee printed with gray Aztec pattern on the front paired with skinny blue jeans and dark brown strappy sandals. She gathered her hair in a ponytail and Kurenai gave her a simple black rope woven chain bracelet and a dainty silver feather wrap ring for accessories.

Sango blushed at Ren's compliment and it deepened when she saw Miroku's intent gaze on her.

Miroku's had his sights fixed on her the moment he walked down the stairs and he's completely smitten. His dear Sango looked absolutely beautiful and she took his breath away.

Kurenai however, shot Ren a reprimanding glare, "Don't even think about pulling your moves on her big brother." she warned but she got confused when the room suddenly got tense, her friends looked nervous and with her brother giving her a knowing grin, Kurenai put two and two together, "You already did!" she spat in disbelief and Ren broke out in laughter.

"Relax sis, I was just kidding. I can clearly see she's already spoken for." he glanced at Sango and Miroku who are both blushing.

"You better be." she kept her brother in a distrusting glare, "I swear Ren, I love you to death but if you try to add her to the string of countless girls you've gone through over the years one more time, you're gonna get it."

He tipped his head in compliance, "Yes ma'am."

"I can't believe you." she rolled her eyes though there's a smile to go along with it this time.

The doorbell rang and Ren went to get it.


	22. Donuts and Coffee

**TWENTY TWO**

"Good Morning everybody!" Ryan sang as he entered the living room. He has a tray of cold Starbucks drinks on one hand and his own cup on the other while Ren held the rest of his stuff; another full coffee tray and a box of donuts, "I brought something for everyone!" their friend smiled, "Salted caramel mocha, doll." he extended a cup to her.

Kurenai's eyes twinkled like Christmas lights and reached out with two hands, "You. Are. Perfect!" she gushed and accepted the cheek-to-cheek greeting Ryan gave.

Once again Sesshoumaru found himself gazing at Kurenai, the expressions she make are fascinating to him. Her childlike joy in the simple things, generously affectionate and gentle but still tough and blunt no matter who she's up against, it's a rare myriad of character that blended perfectly in a human woman.

{ _So, what are these thoughts you're having now?_ } his beast's taunting and unwanted comment resounded in the depths of his mind and he scowled.

/ _This Sesshoumaru is merely observing, I do not recall it being a crime._ /

The beast shook his head at his other form, { _So stubborn, it won't hurt if you admit that she's affecting you even just a little._ }

/ _It's too early for this farce. Go!_ / the daiyoukai growled but made sure that he did it mentally, he's had enough of his beast's taunting getting him in trouble.

The beast chuckled at the composed Lord's frustration before he did as he was told finally leaving Sesshoumaru in peace.

"It hasn't even been two hours since her last coffee and you're giving her one again." Ren admonished playfully.

"Coffee addiction is perfectly legal Ren." Ryan retorted, "Here you go, Iced Latte." he handed the drink over to the brother, "As for the others, since I don't know what they like I got Iced Latte for the grown-ups and Iced Passion Tea for the young ones." he laid out the drinks on the table and opened the box of donuts, "And of course we have donuts."

The modern era newbies eyed the circular treats with curiosity that made the siblings smile.

"Thank you Ryan, you're just too sweet." her friend winked in response to her gratitude. She turned to her friends and children, "Go ahead, have a taste. They're really good and they go well with your drinks."

Kurenai didn't have to tell them twice, each of them reached in and grabbed a piece. Their faces lit up in delight and stared at the pastry in their hands after taking a bite. _It's delicious!_ They thought.

Satisfied with their reaction, Kurenai grabbed her own piece, "Talk to me Ry, how are we with the rooms?"

The interior designer smiled, "It's should be relatively easy since the rooms are ready to be furnished. We'll start with the paint job today and the lighting fixtures I bought yesterday should be delivered after lunch, they'll be installed as well."

"Wow. Aren't you on a roll? That's great. It's perfect timing to furnish everything as well since we'll be gone for a few days."

"Wait 'til you see the furniture and accessories I bought yesterday! I found the most insane stuff!" he declared animatedly with the brandish of his hands and the rise and fall of his voice and six pairs of eyes watched him in awe.

Kurenai smiled fondly at her friend, she really adores him, not because he spoils her but he makes her laugh effortlessly. Her guests are still getting used to his personality and after she disclosed the information that Ryan is actually homosexual and explaining what it means, she's glad that her friends didn't feel repulsed by him unlike other close minded people. They only ever looked curious.

"So jealous, I wish I could've gone with you. Don't get me wrong you're a fabulous designer, but that's my favorite part." she pouted.

"Oh please, you're already busy enough as it is doll." Ryan rolled his eyes at her even Ren smirked in agreement to the statement.

She raised her hands in surrender, "I know, I know. Anyway, as you know we'll be shopping today for our trip to New York tomorrow." she handed him a small pouch, "The spare key's in there plus a budget for you and your team's expenses for the following days, you know I'd be happy to cook for you myself if I can but it's not possible so I'll make it up to you when we get back. Oh!" she clapped her hands together, "Why don't you join us for dinner tonight?"

"I can't say no to your cooking doll, but Luke and I already made plans for tonight." he regretfully told her.

"Oh don't sweat it dear, there's always next time and you can bring Luke, give my regards to him 'kay? Well," she reached for her bag and rose to her feet, "we need to get going. Thank you for your hard work dear, keep me in the loop okay?" she said as she pressed her cheek to Ryan's.

"No worries doll, have fun but be mindful of that foot alright?" Ryan looked down at her injured foot.

"Of course." she looked at her friends who also got to their feet with their drinks in hand. The box of donuts went empty ages ago much to her delight, "Let's go."

Their furry babies walked them to the door and after saying their fluffy goodbyes, the group is off for their guests from the Feudal era's first ever shopping trip.


	23. Shop Til You Drop

**A/N: Hey there! Thank you for reading this story! I would like to give you a heads up that this story will change to M Rating in the future. Happy reading!**

* * *

 **TWENTY THREE**

Kurenai sat on one of the ottomans in the fitting room since her brother insisted she rest her after going through one rack of clothes after another for over an hour.

The shopping experience has been a blast for her and Ren. Their friends were mind-blown by the mall's massive and bright interiors, multiple levels and vast array of items for sale.

The first escalator ride was incredibly hilarious for the siblings; it took a while for all of them to reach another floor and Inuyasha was so freaked out about getting on it that they had to stop him from just leaping to the upper floor and the best part is, she recorded them on her phone. It's definitely fun.

Well, for the most part…

"Wench! I don't like this!" See? Of course Inuyasha will not make things easy.

"What now?!" she hissed, the stupid hanyou has been growling relentlessly and being a nuisance to other shoppers, "You don't have to freaking shout Inuyasha."

The hanyou opened his stall, "It's too damn tight!"

Kurenai's eyes bulged out of her head at the unzipped pair of jeans that didn't quite make to Inuyasha's hips giving her and a few women in the fitting room an eyeful of his crotch. She quickly stood up and shoved him into the room, her body blocking the door.

"I told you, if it doesn't fit, tell me, take the clothing off and hang it over the door. Don't come out displaying your underwear for crying out loud!" she chided through gritted teeth and blazing eyes, "Now off with it!" she shut the stall and dropped back down to the ottoman.

She leaned back and pressed her palms behind her over the ottoman, "Haa…" she heaved in exhaustion. It's not even halfway through their day and she's already beat.

From Inuyasha's constant grumbling echoing throughout the mall, to shielding their companions from the swarm of paparazzi that rained camera flashes and a flurry of questions on them as they entered the mall and well, her sprained ankle starting to feel tender from all the walking, she tired out quickly.

"Kurenai." she jumped on her seat, although she did request it, hearing her name in Sesshoumaru's deep voice has been sending shivers down her spine. Confusing, delicious shivers to be specific.

"Yes?" she turned to where the voice came from to find the daiyoukai looking absolutely handsome in a plaid shirt in blue, violet and white paired with gray khaki pants.

She noticed the women in the fitting room stare at Sesshoumaru as if they were in a captivated trance, and who wouldn't? Sesshoumaru is a fine specimen of a man with that strikingly handsome face, perfect body build and the confident way he carries himself, any woman would swoon over him. Even she, finds him attractive but not to the point of fangirling like the others.

"It looks good." she noted before standing up and walking towards him, "Is the fit okay?"

"Yes."

Kurenai raised her hands, implying that she wants to fix something but stopped short, "May I?" she asked.

There was a moment of hesitation but he obliged, "Hn." and with that she proceeded to modify his look a bit.

Sesshoumaru regarded her with seemingly bored eyes though in reality, he's in deep contemplation. He's always been puzzled with how she can approach him casually like this when others are either mortified, spiteful, or like those women in the corner of the room, looking at him all dreamy-eyed. But this woman is none of those, he did catch her blushing earlier and she seems to appreciate how he looks in these clothes but it's more of a natural appreciation of his physical attributes.

And what's even more baffling to him is how he finds their current proximity comforting. The heat radiating from her body through this distance, the brush of her delicate fingers and the waft of lotus and grapefruit flood him with a calming warmth that he's never felt before.

"There." her content voice brought him back to earth and she stepped aside to allow him to see what she did to his clothes through the mirror. Well, all she did was fold the sleeves up to his elbows but it made such a huge difference, he looked younger, more edgy and polished.

"If you want to look more formal, just tuck it under your pants." she pointed on the shirt's hem, "So, you approve?" she tipped her head thoughtfully.

A few silent seconds passed, "It's acceptable."

"Oh, we got another winner with him?" her brother entered the fitting room, a few women, obviously fans, treaded a few feet behind him and it's quite a hilarious thing to witness "He's surprisingly open minded."

"Yeah he is. Well except for the jeans, that's the one thing he's adamant about not trying. It's a shame though, he'll definitely look hot in those." she said in deep thought with a hand on her chin.

"Hot?" Sesshoumaru mumbled, confused with the use of the word and looked at Ren for answers.

"She means you'll look extremely attractive in it. I think so too but as much as possible we want to respect your decision." Ren explained.

Kurenai is now busy checking Sango and Rin's outfits, she offered to get a smaller size of the cardigan for the slayer while she fawned over how perfect Rin looked in the airy, turquoise tunic dress and black leggings.

"Very well then." the demon Lord declared causing four sets of eyes to focus on him.

"Eh?"

"This Sesshoumaru will give the jeans a try."

Kurenai didn't need to be told twice and swiftly stepped out of the room. She's been itching to have him try those pants and now that he RELUCTANTLY agreed, she's not going to pass up the chance.

"Hey wench! Here's the freaking thing." Inuyasha called out from the stall, not knowing that his friend is out on a mission.

"She's not here Inuyasha but she'll be back with another pair for you." Ren replied, pulling the garment from the door just as Miroku and Shippo stepped out of their stall. Ren looked them over and approved Miroku in the light blue button-up shirt paired with slim, beige calf-length khaki pants, perfect for the summer in New York. Shippo wore a pair of gray jogger pants with a maroon printed t-shirt that also suited him very well.

Ren looked at the large amount of clothes stacked on their 'YES' pile. It went more smoothly than they thought, a lot of the clothes suit their guests well and it's quite rewarding to see their delight when looking at their reflection in the mirror.

Kurenai returned clothes in hand, "Here you go, try these together." she extended a pair of blue jeans and a heathered, v-neck t-shirt in gray to the daiyoukai who apprehensively stepped back into the stall. Kurenai threw another pair of pants into Inuyasha's stall and handed another cardigan over to Sango.

"Do you think he'll agree to it?" Ren asked his sister as they waited for their friends to emerge once again from the stalls with a different outfit.

Kurenai's busy organizing the clothes they liked and the ones they didn't, "It's up to him brother. If he ends up really not liking it, then at least he tried."

Inuyasha stepped out of the stall finally satisfied with the fit of the pants and they all favored the red and black checkered button-up shirt and dark blue jeans outfit for him.

Moments later, Sesshoumaru's door opened and the siblings froze. _How the hell can someone look insanely gorgeous in plain t-shirt and jeans?!_ they thought.

The daiyoukai cleared his throat to snap the siblings out of their trance, although he found it amusing that even Ren is awestruck by his appearance.

Kurenai blinked and straightened up from her seat, "Ehem... So how do you feel?"

"The garment is not as constricting as that blockhead of a half-breed claims it to be and the material is not as stiff as it looks." he responded with that emotionless face of his.

"So, are you comfortable?" she prodded.

"It's tolerable." was his curt answer.

She sighed, "'Tolerable' sounds like you're forcing yourself to like it eventhough you're against it and that's the last thing we want you to do. We don't want to force you into anything, it's good enough that you tried it. So do YOU want it? Yes or no?"

Sesshoumaru finds her habit of making sure everybody's comfortable and well taken care of admirable. Most creatures he encountered are always so concerned with their own well-being but she is endlessly thinking of other people, even with a subject as miniscule as an article of clothing, she wants him to be sure that he himself wants it and not just because they suggested it.

He looked at himself in the mirror, the top fitted him perfectly and the color is to his liking. The pants on the other hand surprised him because it's stretchable despite its stiff appearance and although it is a little rough, it's also quite soft. But he feels like he can get used to wearing it and he also agrees that he does the clothes justice, the siblings' reaction when he stepped out was a valid confirmation of that.

"Yes." he said after his mental deliberation.

Both Kurenai and Ren smiled.

"That's great! 'Cause you look really good in it!" the sister said as both of them appraised him from a few feet away.

"Yeah, he sure does." the older brother agreed.

As they marched towards the payment counters, the group found themselves in a situation that's been happening since they stepped out of the car.

"Mom look! It's them! The band Gemini! The older brother is super handsome!" a teenager intensely pulled on her mother's sleeve.

"Yeah, but the sister is just as gorgeous." The mother added.

A group of men also recognized them, "Whew, that Kurenai sure looks gorgeous!" uttered one.

"Yeah, those red eyes are so damn sexy." groaned the other.

Sesshoumaru, disgusted by the shameless remarks, unknowingly threw the men a sharp glare and caused them to scurry away.

Even Sesshoumaru's beast is growling inside him, enraged at the hint of lust it detected from the punks' words directed towards the woman it desires.

A few shoppers actually approached Ren and Kurenai asking for pictures and autographs. The siblings obliged for a bit before apologizing because they need to get going.

Inuyasha leaned in to his bestfriend as they dump the clothes over the counter, "Damn wench, you really are popular."

"Yeah, and those paparazzi you told us about are really interested in you earlier." Miroku added.

The whispers around them continued, "Hey, I wonder who those people are with them?"

"Yeah, the men are really attractive. Especially the tallest one, oh my."

"The woman is very good-looking as well. What an impressive-looking bunch of people."

Ren chuckled at the compliments, "Seems like the spotlight will be on our new companions here."

Kurenai smiled at the thought, "That's nice every once in a while."

They left the store with a scowling Sesshoumaru. It frustrated him to have the siblings pay for his clothes; he's never let anyone pay for his own belongings and as a wealthy demon Lord, it's a huge hit on his ego. But there's nothing he can do about it, whatever money any of them might have from the Feudal era is not valid here so he'll have to, as Kurenai told him when he complained, 'Suck it up'.

A store caught Inuyasha's attention and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"What the?" Inuyasha's jaw dropped with his eyes glued to the store's huge portrait of a gorgeous woman in a seductive stance wearing next to nothing but the binding on her chest and the tiniest piece of cloth between her legs. What he's doing felt wrong and he wants to look away but how can he?!

Kurenai chuckled, "Well, if it got your attention then it's doing its job."

He spun towards her while pointing firmly at the display, "Why do they display women like that?!"

"Because Inuyasha, they're selling the garment that goes under the clothes for women. If they cover it up, it will beat the purpose of encouraging women to buy stuff from them. It's not like they're selling the women, lighten up."

Ren threw a wicked smile at the hanyou, "What's getting you so fired up my friend? I think you're getting affected in a different way." he wiggled his eyebrows conveying his naughty thoughts, which Inuyasha didn't take it very well and stared daggers at him.

Kurenai shared the same sentiment as her friend and elbowed her brother, "Not in front of the kids, mister." she held Sango and Rin's hand and they headed to the Victoria's Secret store, "We'll go our separate ways for now. Laters!"

"What?" the hanyou eyed her with disbelief.

"Well, Sango actually needs items from that store and they also have normal everyday clothing. Many of the clothes sis wears at home are from there." the brother told them.

"Miroku! I'll get her something that will also make you happy!" their red-eyed friend sang from the store's entrance making the monk's eyes pop out of their sockets while Ren and Shippo chuckled, Sesshoumaru's amusement with her actions did not show on his face.

"Kurenai!" Sango blushed in embarrassment and pulled a laughing Kurenai into the store along with Rin.

"Crazy wench." Inuyasha spat but then smiled. His friend is having a hell of a good time today, she's very excited to dress them in the clothes of this era and show everything that the world she grew up in can offer. Of course he feels happy to see her genuinely having fun and in her element without having to worry about Naraku, the sacred jewel and other demon attacks.

"Okay, let's do a little more shopping ourselves." Ren led them towards another store.

"When are we gonna finish anyway?" the hanyou grumbled when he's once again face to face with another rack of clothing.

"This will be the last store and we're done." hazel eyes skim through the clothes once again and not long after, the guys are back into fitting more clothes.


	24. Dad

**TWENTY FOUR**

Ren pulled the car door closed, everyone sat in the car satisfied from the delectable lunch they just had, "Alright! Next stop!"

Their friends' eyes widened, "What next stop?" Inuyasha grabbed Ren's seat and peeked at their driver, "Aren't we done?"

"We're going to see dad." Kurenai announced and Sesshoumaru shifted on his seat, looking back at her with knitted eyebrows, "Oh right, we were interrupted by Ryan's arrival yesterday that we didn't get the chance to mention our adoptive father to Sesshoumaru and Rin." she gave the daiyoukai an apologetic smile.

"He's actually our second adoptive father, he adopted us when our first adoptive father died." Ren added and Sesshoumaru's attention shifted to him, "He's the one who encouraged us to pursue a career in the music industry through his guidance after he discovered us doing a small performance at our first adoptive father's cafe."

"We thought we'd pay him a visit and introduce everyone." Kurenai smiled at children beside her as they began to drive off.

* * *

The visitors from the Feudal era found themselves trailing behind the Ren and Kurenai as they weave through one of the many floors in the glass clad building the siblings brought them to. They were told that the expansive space is called and 'office' where the employees perform duties and tasks to achieve the company's goals.

The air is filled with the buzz of people chatting amongst each other or on their phones, the clatter of fingers hitting keyboards and the muffled thud of urgent footsteps over carpeted floors. But these movements go still as curious eyes followed them.

They reached the end of the hall where the siblings happily greeted a blonde woman who seem to be in her mid-40s sitting behind a black matte geometric faceted desk with the word 'RAVE' in steel letters mounted on one of the facets on the right. The wall behind her is decked with three slabs of white marble. The level of elegance in this area is different from the rest of the floor and somewhat felt like a gateway to something grander than what they've seen so far.

"President," the woman began on the phone while keeping her eyes at the siblings, "your children are here. Yes, understood." putting the phone down she said, "He's waiting."

"Thanks Millie." the siblings said in unison as they walked towards the door behind her.

* * *

"Hey dad." Kurenai walked towards the middle aged man sitting back on his leather office chair skating a finger over his phone. There's a glint in his baby blue eyes as they landed on her and the man smiled as he stood on his feet.

"Those are the faces I love to see." Ethan Walry gave his daughter a quick hug and pressed his cheek onto hers, his son followed shortly with a hug and a pat on the back, "What happened to your foot baby girl?" he stared at his daughter's foot, his eyes clouded with worry.

"It's a minor sprain dad. It'll heal fairly quickly." she assured before setting a brown paper bag on his desk, "Anyway, we got you some snacks." she smiled at the obvious delight on his face at the small gesture.

Her adoptive father looked incredible for someone who's fifty-four. His golden brown hair is streaked with a wave of silver on his temples but it didn't make him look old, if anything, it's one of the things that make women crazy over him. He's also in great shape and his toned body perfectly held up his dark grey suit.

"Thanks you two." Ethan's gaze flew to the foreign faces with his children, "I assume this visit is about these new faces you went shopping with?" he sat back down, "Please, have a seat." he offered while lacing his fingers together.

"You've already seen the photos from this morning dad?" Ren asked as he and his sister occupied the seats in front of his dad's desk and their friends sat on the couches across the room facing Ethan.

With a smug smile, their dad spun his computer screen towards them, "Of course, I'm not your manager and the head of this company for nothing." it's the photo of them entering the mall this morning.

"Mama! That's us!" Rin exclaimed.

"It's really us..." Miroku added as they, except for Sesshoumaru tiptoed closer to the screen and were in awe at seeing exacting portraits of themselves in the modern era.

"So what's happening?" Ethan threw his daughter a penetrating look. He didn't just imagine the young girl calling his daughter mama.

"Alright, let me introduce everyone." Kurenai gestured a hand towards her dad, "This is our dad, Ethan Walry."

The guests stared at the man their friend called dad. He has an intimidating presence that will not make anyone doubt his authority as the head of the large number of employees they saw diligently working earlier. He smiles kindly at them yet studies them with penetrating eyes as Kurenai introduced them and began to explain their situation.

Ethan's eyes grew wide as he listened to his daughter and his sights fell on each of his visitors on the couch, "Wow, I'm actually staring at ancient relics." he gasped after processing the incredible information.

Two dog demons growled at the remark while the others chuckled at it.

"Dad... Please don't forget that there are two full grown demons in your office." she warned.

"Well, if you're that relaxed around them, I don't think they mean any harm as long as I know my limits." he declared casually, "So you and your friends from the Feudal era are now banished to our era and the well, your portal through time, disappeared."

"That's pretty much it and now, we need to figure out a way to bring back the well so my friends can go back to their own era."

"Researching spells and a seemingly complicated one to boot…" Ethan rested his chin on his right knuckle and threw his daughter an intent stare, "Baby girl, you do understand how swamped you are with work here, yes?"

Even her friends from the Feudal era understood what the old man meant. Kurenai has been on and off her phone the entire time they've been out; in a phone call or tapping away on the screen sending something called an 'e-mail'. It's the same with Ren same except for when he's driving; he takes calls through the car's stereo and the conversations are mostly about business or people checking up on Kurenai's condition.

"I am dad." she nodded, "I'm also aware that my friends can't turn their backs on their lives just because the well is gone. They're experiencing huge changes and I feel bad making them adjust this era's way of living." Her eyes flew to the photo in her father's screen, "Ren and I's lifestyle is not helping the situation either."

"You've spent more than a year of going back and forth between here and their era and had to fight demons in theirs. If you compare that to their situation, I don't think they're getting the short end of the stick here." her father insisted.

"That's exactly why I want to find a solution as soon as I can because I know how it feels to be in an era that's completely different from my own. I at least had the luxury of going back to the comforts of my own era time and again. On top of that, we can't just leave Naraku to his own devices and easily collect the jewel shards for himself."

Everybody else in the room shifted uncomfortably, their conversation is turning quite tense.

"I will be resting dad, I know that's what you're worried about. We have a lot of commitments coming up but isn't the current situation better than before? I don't have to go to the Feudal era so I can use the days that I'm supposed to be there in researching ways to bring the well back instead and be taking it easy at the same time."

Ren slipped into the conversation, "Besides dad, we've sorted it out. Our friends here have offered to help us around the house, we just have to teach them."

"Not all of them." Kurenai murmured to herself, though her dad looked at her curiously.

"He's right Mr. Walry." Miroku said, even though he feels quite intimidated by his friends' dad, "It's not our intention to impose on your children and they're not enablers either, they are efficiently showing us how this modern era works."

Ethan raised an eyebrow at the man who had the courage to jump into the discussion, "It's not like I'm looking at you guys as people who'll take advantage of my kids. My only concern is that my workaholic daughter will forget to take care of herself, but if you say it like that, I can be at ease. I'm counting on you." he smiled at the people on the couch.

Kurenai rolled her eyes with a chuckle, "Geez dad, I'm not a kid." and continued, "Anyway, with them staying here for an indefinite period of time, they're bound to have their expenses but they're not comfortable just receiving money from us, well except Miroku maybe..." the monk went into a coughing fit at this, "So we thought since the contract with our bodyguards have expired, they can do it instead. No need to pay agency fees." she proposed.

Ethan stared at his daughter weighing her words, "Hmm... You did say that they're used to fighting demons, so long as they don't kill anybody, they'll be good."

"They know how to pull their strength back dad. Ren and I will also teach Sango, Miroku and Sesshoumaru how to drive."

"Hey wench! Why am I not included?!" the hanyou growled from his seat.

"That's why you're not allowed. You're too hot-tempered. I'm sure you'll curse the hell out of every driver you encounter. NO." a melody erupted in the room before Inuyasha can further argue with his best friend.

"Oh, I haven't heard that ringtone in a while. How's Mav?" Ren smiled at his sister but then frowned when he noticed that her face went pale.

She looked away and nervously swirled her finger over the desk, "I don't know yet." she said and his eyes grew wide.

"You haven't called him?!" he huffed and glanced at his dad's computer, "If dad saw the photos from this morning, he has seen it and your injury, he's probably flipping out right now! Out of all the people you'd forget!"

She pressed a hand on her chest, glaring at her brother through squinted eyes, "Oh I'm sorry, guess it's my fault for not calling him yesterday even though I wasn't busy." Ren can only shake his head at his sister's sassy 'apology', "Oh wait, I WAS busy yesterday! You were there!"

Four pairs of eyes ping ponged between the siblings both in confusion and amusement; wondering who's the 'HE' they're talking about and amused at Kurenai's sarcastic monologue.

"Alright, alright." Ethan cooled his children's bickering, "Hurry and take the call baby girl, it'll be worse if you don't answer."

Kurenai pulled her phone out of her bag and looked at the name on the screen wearily. Taking a deep breath, she swiped to answer.


	25. Phone Call

**TWENTY FIVE**

Pasting on a big yet nervous smile, Kurenai answered the call, "Hey V! How's it going?" she glared at Ren's muffled laughter at her weirdly high-pitched voice before wincing and shoving the phone away from her ear as if it's burning.

The call is not on loudspeaker yet everyone in the room can hear the apparent yelling of the person on the other line. She rolled her eyes when Ren waved a finger at his sister implying she's in trouble while her dad smirked at her predicament.

"V," Kurenai pressed the phone back to her ear despite the incessant yelling on the other line, "I'm sorry I didn't call, things were a bit chaotic yesterday… Calm down… I'm fine… It's just a sprain." Kurenai massaged her temples before turning to her dad and nodded towards the door beside the lit shelf towering behind him, he nodded and she walked into it to continue her phone call in private.

Their friends on the couch blinked at the door Kurenai disappeared to. It seems whoever is on the other line is not easily persuaded despite her efforts to reassure him.

"So overprotective, that son of mine." Ethan said and their eyes landed on him, confused.

"Son?" Sango asked.

"Dad's one and only biological child, and our adoptive older brother, Mavick Walry." Ren explained, "He's older than me by two years and Kurenai by four years." he turned to his dad, "Weren't you worried as well, dad?"

Ethan's blue eyes stared at the photo on his screen, "I'm more rational than your brother, her injury doesn't look severe and she was able to go shopping. I was going to give you a call to check on you guys but you already beat me to it by coming here."

Ren shook his head with a smirk, "Yeah, he tends to be an idiotic brother when it comes to peaches."

A knock on the door rang in the room, "Come in, Millie." Ethan announced and the secretary they met outside entered with a tray of iced tea, "Please, have a drink." he offered.

While taking small sips on their refreshing beverage, the guests' eyes peeked around the room; dominated by lustrous chocolate dark wood walls balanced out by white tiled floors and white accent wall drawn with geometric patterns by strips of metallic gold strips behind the plush black leather couches they're sitting on, the room oozed the masculinity and elegance of the man in front of them.

The shelf behind Ethan serves not just to hold books, vases and small figurines encased in glass, the contents are tastefully arranged and it's as much a decorative piece as the tall white vase with white silk cherry blossom branches in the corner of the room next to them and the blown glass sculpture of coiled flames atop a black pillar standing between the two curtained windows.

They turned their heads when they heard a click from the door, "I'll see you soon, take care…" Kurenai said as she stepped out of the room, "Yes, yes, I'll stay in touch V, don't worry… Bye."

"Did Mav give you anything more than a hard time?" Ren grinned.

She sighed, "All hell broke loose when I told him that we're with dad."

"Of course, we remembered to give dad a visit and we didn't even remember to give him a call."

Kurenai grinned at her brother wickedly, "Speaking of 'we', prepare yourself brother. He's pissed that you didn't inform him as well."

It was the brother's turn to sigh, "I'm glad he took the role of the overprotective brother but he needs to calm down. I'll give him a call later."

Kurenai chuckled and glanced at her friends, "You told them who my caller was?" she asked as she sat down.

"Yeah." Ren stretched on his seat with his hands behind his head, "Mavick's quite the character especially when it comes you, it's hard not to tell people abou—Ow!" his sister chastised him with a kick on the leg.

"Stop making fun of us."

Ethan chuckled at the childish scene and shifted his attention to the children on the couch, "So you adopted these children baby girl?" the kids sank into the couch under his scrutiny.

"Well, something like that." Kurenai chose her words carefully since there's a certain daiyoukai in the room who is Rin's father figure and she doesn't want him thinking she's eager to play house.

The old man stretched his arms open, "Awesome! I have grandkids! Come over here little ones! Greet grandpa!" for the first time, his authoritative façade completely disappeared, replaced by a huge, charming smile.

The siblings stared at their dad's enthusiasm before Kurenai smiled at the little ones, "Go ahead kids." she urged and the children hesitantly walked up to Ethan.

Ethan ruffled the kids' hair, "Call me gramps okay?" he smiled fondly at them, "The grandkids I would get from you and Mavick will be gorgeous." he gave each of them a chocolate bar and they ran to their mother who offered to unwrap it for them.

"Oh believe me, with all of their womanizing, your sons probably have kids we don't know about." she raised a playful brow at Ren who cheekily stuck his tongue out at her.

"I don't mean grandkids that I'll have from each of you, but the kids that you and Mavick will have together." he pointed out and Kurenai froze from opening Shippo's chocolate bar. Ren smirked at the comment while the others in the room stared at Ethan, stunned.

When she recovered from her shock, Kurenai glared at her dad, "Did you seriously just suggest that I go and have kids with my adoptive BROTHER?" she stressed the last word.

"Why not? You're not related by blood anyway." the old man said it like it's the most natural thing in the world to do.

"It doesn't matter! We've been siblings for over seven years! This is so wrong on so many levels!" she spat while Shippo skipped back to the couch nibbling at his sugary treat.

"But I'm worried about you baby girl, you'll be twenty-six soon and you've never had a boyfriend." her dad still insisted.

Kurenai heaved exhaustedly while opening Rin's chocolate, "Dad, I'm turning twenty-six, not fifty. Your desperation is at a whole new level there to even propose Mavick as my partner."

Something tugged within Sesshoumaru at the idea of Kurenai partnering with another man. The woman's relationships should be none of his business and yet he's overcome with irritation and his beast growling and clawing in protest is not making things easier.

"He'll take care of you, you know." Ethan's plea pulled the daiyoukai's attention back to the debate in front of them.

"He can take care of me as his sister, but as a romantic partner? No thanks. He'll be a headache." she raised her hands in dismissal and leaned back on her seat, "Mavick's a notorious womanizer just like you and Ren and you know how I feel about relationships…" she covered Rin's ears, "and sex. He's an amazing brother and I love him for that, I don't think it can be anything more."

"Dad, you'll have to wave the white flag now." Ren said while browsing on his phone, "She watched the three of us casually go through one relationship after another and it really turned her away from getting into one herself."

"I guess so." the old man sighed in disappointment and watched his 'granddaughter' walk back to the couch.

Sesshoumaru gained a new level of respect for Kurenai when he saw her cover Rin's ears before talking about a sensitive subject, it showed how much she cared about the young girl. But most of all, he admired how she stood by her principles on relationships and how she seems to be a woman who doesn't rely on a man to be confident with who she is.

"Between your foreign friends and your furry family members, the house must be a hell of a lot livelier." Ethan switched the topic, "That being said, you have to seriously start looking for an assistant Kurenai. You've managed quite well after we let your last assistant go but with the current situation, you really have to."

"I know dad." she replied, "It's not exactly easy to find someone I can trust not to betray me by leaking private information to rival companies and reporters." she smiled bitterly.

"Peaches, it's Stacy's loss when she did that. Her salary's more than most people make in a year, she traveled the world under VIP treatment but most of all, you treated her like a sister and she threw all of that away for meager money." Ren encouraged.

"You've always had trust issues baby girl but when you do trust someone, you tend to forget that not everybody is as loyal as you, especially in our business where celebrity secrets can really pay a lot of money. Just protect yourself more when you do find an assistant." her father advised.

"It's not exactly relaxing to have to look over your shoulder all the time. But yeah, I do need an assistant so I'll deal with it. Another thing dad," she added, "since we can't exactly leave our friends alone and fly to New York, we'll be bringing them with us. We already booked them in our flight."

Ethan's eyebrows knitted together, "How were you able to do that without the necessary documents that they have to have? They clearly have no documentation that they exist in this era."

The siblings grinned mischievously, "Oh they do." Kurenai replied.

"You forged documents?!" her father hissed.

"How can you accuse your children of something illegal? They're legally registered as residents of this era with a little help of magic. They have birth certificates, IDs, passports, and visas." she explained.

"She asked for the blessing of the enchanted entities dad and because she's never done anything selfish since discovering her own powers and bears no ill-will, they were more than happy to give permission." Ren added.

Their Feudal era companions gaped at Kurenai. They couldn't believe that she was able to make them legal residents of this era. The scope of her powers reached a league they didn't know existed.

Ethan stared in awe at his daughter, "Well that's generous of them." he said then grabbed his phone, "So their flight details are taken care of, as for the hotel…" he trailed off as he tapped away on the gadget.

"We figured out our sleeping arrangements and due to some circumstances, we need to add two more rooms with two double beds to the current booking." Kurenai suggested.

"Alright. This will most probably come out of your pockets but let me see if I can work something out."

"That's why I told you not to insist to the shows' executives to book us at 1 Hotel, it's pricey. It's unreasonable to ask them to pay for the additional expenses." she grumbled.

"At least it's not Ritz-Carlton." Ren chuckled.

"But that's your favorite hotel in New York! You'll be performing at Central Park early in the morning, isn't it better to book a hotel in the area and avoid unnecessary delays because of traffic?" Ethan set his phone on his desk.

"I love it for vacations not for business trips. There are more modest hotels around and we'll barely stay at the hotel dad. Well, there's no use arguing since it's done." she glanced at her watch, "We should get going dad, you must be busy and we need to pack for tomorrow. Do you have anything else for us?"

"Have you explained to our guests here about the documentary shoot for your tenth anniversary concert?" her father asked.

"Yes dad, we told them about the film crew that have been following us around from the beginning of the planning process and will continue to do so until the last audience leaves the arena after the concert." Kurenai looked at her friends and felt bad for them once again. When they told them about the filming and showed them a sample of how it goes, their friends got anxious and expressed their discomfort on being filmed, "As expected, they're not comfortable with it so we spoke to the film company and they told us to just let the crew know who doesn't want cameras pointed at them or at least pointed too long."

Ethan looked at them sympathetically, "Sorry about this but it's part of their job. We hope you can endure it for a bit." relieved when they smiled at him, he turned to Ren, "We need the green light on your proposal for Dani Kayde's music video son. Do you have anything for review before sending it to them?"

"I'm almost done with it, I'll send it to you tomorrow evening." his son responded, "But with the pre-production, we might have to push the shoot to after our concert. They know this right?"

"Well yeah, but it's better to get all of our ducks in line ahead of schedule." Ethan told him, "Well that's all for now, I'll be in touch as always. Enjoy New York and have a safe trip!"

"Oh dad, why not join us for dinner tonight?" Kurenai asked as they got up on their feet, "The house is a bit of a mess since we're having the vacant rooms decorated but we haven't had dinner together in a while."

"You guys cooking?" Ethan asked as he stood and when she nodded, he smiled, "Of course, dinner's at seven right?"

"Dinner's at seven." she smiled back before moving to give her father a quick hug, "Sorry for being a pain." she giggled.

"I can't expect less from my passionate daughter." he replied, "Now, if only you can be passionate in dating..." he teased.

"Enough." she reprimanded playfully, "See you later dad." Kurenai gave way to her older brother who also gave the old man a hug.

"See you at dinner dad."

"You too, son. You know what to do with your sister." he winked at his son.

"Stop ganging up on me you clowns." she rolled her eyes and walked with the kids to the door.

He looked at both of his children with pride. Eventhough they're not his real children, they've always given him a great deal of respect and love that any child bound to their parents by blood can offer. They're his pride and joy, of course along with his one and only real son.

"See you later gramps!" both kids waved happily at Ethan and his heart skipped a beat.

He waved back with a smile, "Later kids."

As the door closes, a huge smile has been pasted on Ethan's face and it stayed there for the rest of the day as he looked forward to having dinner with his children's larger family.


	26. Teamwork

Hey there! I would like to thank you for reading this story. If you happen to like it, that's great. If not, I would appreciate your feedback.

I would also like to thank those who favorited and followed this story. :)

Well then, happy reading!

* * *

 **TWENTY SIX**

"I don't think I can do it Kurenai." Sango's eyes shifted nervously.

Listening to Ren give instructions to Miguel in the middle of bringing the shopping bags into the house gave Kurenai an idea; ask Sango to be her assistant. Well, she will not be doing admin stuff like her past assistants did but she'll take whatever help she can get.

The demon slayer can kill a hundred of demons in one day but to help keep a busy celebrity like Kurenai's life in order seems overwhelming.

"Sango…" Kurenai held Sango's shoulders, "Don't worry, you'll just help out with some personal stuff that I don't have time to do. I'm honestly not looking forward to asking you do my personal stuff for me but I need someone beside me that I can trust."

"I'll help you out." Miguel walked over to them, "Lucky for you, Kurenai is not high maintenance. She'll only ask you if she absolutely can't do it and this is one of those times." the Italian man with dark curly hair and eyes smiled reassuringly at Sango.

"Are you saying _I'm_ high maintenance?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Your endless parade of women are." he snapped at his boss/friend who grinned in response.

Kurenai snickered at the men before tipping her head thoughtfully at Sango, "So?" she asked.

"Okay. I'll give it a try." the demon slayer smiled.

The miko squeezed her friend's shoulder, "Thank you Sango! Alright, for your first task, I need your help with packing my stuff for New York. I wouldn't have much time since I need to prepare dinner."

"We'll help you cook too, mama!" Shippo squealed.

"Yes mama!" Rin cheered as well.

Kurenai smiled at two pairs of bright eyes, "I'd love that."

"Well then," Ren said, "let's get started. Inuyasha, Miroku, Sesshoumaru, come with me. I'll show you how we do laundry here. Yes Miguel, where they're from in Japan's mountains, there's no washing machine or any type of electronics really. So get used to us teaching them things." he explained when his assistant threw him a confused glance.

Ren thought what his sister did is a good idea to ask Sango to be her assistant. She doesn't have any experience but the most important thing right now is not to have too many people close to them that they cannot trust to share their current situation with. Miguel is a good guy but they cannot take the risk of telling him the truth.

The men marched down the hall behind the kitchen shopping bags in hand while the women, Miguel and the kids went upstairs to Kurenai's bedroom.

Kurenai left Sango and Miguel to do their personal assistant tutorial after they finalized what she'll be bringing for the trip. She went to check on Ryan's progress which was rapid much to her delight and as planned, she and the kids began preparing dinner.

Sesshoumaru left his hanyou half-brother and the monk to be amazed with the swirling of their clothes in the washing machine and made his way out into the backyard. Spending the day inside concrete structures, weaving through noisy crowds of people and driving around the polluted city left the daiyoukai unusually exhausted and he craves to be filled with the energy and serenity of nature.

He doesn't know how long he's been perched on his now personal branch on the oak tree when Rin's giggling reached the daiyoukai's ears and he opened his eyes to look in the house. He found the young girl in the kitchen happily stirring something in a bowl with the kitsune eagerly looking on and their adoptive mother rinsing a whole chicken in the sink.

Sesshoumaru can't help it, the next thing he knew, he's jumping off the tree and in elegant strides, he walked back into the house.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin's eyes sparkled seeing him walk in, "I'm helping mama cook!"

"Hn." he responded as he sat on one of the stools much to the shock of Shippo. Kurenai's eyes also widened slightly in surprise at seeing him but it quickly turned into a smile.

"Alright Rin, it's Shippo's turn to stir." Kurenai said while patting dry two whole chickens on the sheet pan. Rin handed the bowl over to Shippo and the kitsune continued to stir the parsley, lemon zest, garlic and butter mixture. Kurenai slid a wooden board in front of Rin and after demonstrating how to cut the onions and lemons, she asked the young girl to do it to the rest but kept a watchful eye hoping the child won't cut herself.

It's another mystery for the daiyoukai to solve why he finds gratification in watching Kurenai cook. But there's something about the graceful and precise movement of her hands, her thoughtful features when thinking of what's missing in the dish, her habit of humming every so often, and now, her gentle voice while patiently teaching the kids, that soothes him and he felt his unsettled spirit earlier calm.

The adoptive mother gave the kids one chicken each to prepare for roasting. She let them do everything from sprinkling the cavity with salt and pepper to popping the onion, lemon and bay leaf inside the chicken then tying it up. But what got the children excited the most was when she asked them to massage the chicken in order to spread the butter mixture they made under the skin of the bird. After seasoning over the chicken and tying it up, they placed it together in a roasting pan and popped it in the oven. They also made an Asian glaze to baste the chicken with every so often.

Sesshoumaru wasn't ignored during the process; Rin would ask if he thinks she did a nice job and he found it amusing how her adopted mother also eagerly awaited his response. Kurenai also kept him part of the activity by pulling him into random conversations now and again despite how he mostly only responds with "Hn".

Kurenai is somewhat confused that the usually distant Lord of the Western Lands is once again hanging around the kitchen watching her and the kids take care of dinner. The activity is not exactly something an elegant and proud Lord would find amusing and yet here he is and he looks so comfortable and she can't help but smile.

Ryan stopped by the kitchen as they were making a broccoli salad and her friend gushed at the adorable family image they made while cooking before saying his goodbyes and safe flight wishes. Miguel also headed home and it finally allowed the demons to get comfortable in their actual forms.

When all that's left to do is wait for the chicken and mixed vegetables with parmesan crust to finish roasting in the oven, they went to quickly freshen up for dinner.

* * *

 _Ding Dong!_

"Dad's here." Ren said amidst the barking of the dogs as he walked to the outdoor dining carrying a platter of steaming rice.

Kurenai peeked from the fridge, "Miroku, can you get the door please?" she asked the monk who had just finished setting the tableware with Sango.

Miroku reluctantly headed to the door with a trail of dogs and Kirara trotting behind him and opened it to a smiling Ethan with a bottle of white wine in hand, "Good evening Mr. Monk!" he smiled down at the rest of his welcoming committee, "What a warm welcome!"

"G-good evening Mr. Walry." Miroku greeted back and opened the door wider.

"Please, call me Ethan." his friend's dad insisted as they walked into the house.

"Then please call me Miroku sir—I mean Ethan."

"Alright Miroku. Good evening everyone!" Ethan greeted those who already sat at the table.

"Good evening gramps!" the kids greeted together; Rin sat beside Sesshoumaru who decided not to take one of the head of the table seats in respect to the siblings' father and Shippo sat beside Rin.

"Good evening Mr. Walry." Sango also greeted from where she sat opposite Rin, Inuyasha sat on her right and Miroku took the seat on her left, Kirara jumped onto her lap.

Ethan did not take offense that the dog demons did not greet him, aware of their personalities, he's content with them recognizing his presence by looking at him and the slight tip of their heads.

"Like I told Miroku, you guys can call me Ethan." he said while ruffling the children's head absentmindedly, his attention on Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru and Shippo in their demon forms, "This is quite a sight to see." he said in awe, "Cool ears you have here Shippo!" the kitsune grinned at the compliment.

Ethan walked to the seat at the head of the table but unable to resist, he's behind Inuyasha in a blink and went to fondle the hanyou's dog ears.

"The hell!" Inuyasha growled in shock, "Knock it off! Are you a kid?!" hearing his friends laugh at his predicament pissed him off all the more.

The old man raised his hands in the air with a naughty grin on his face, "Sorry, I can't help it. It just looks so fluffy and cute!" more laughter erupted at the table, Sesshoumaru even smirked at hearing someone call his brother 'cute', such a disgraceful thing for a demon to be described as.

"Having fun over there dad?" Kurenai chuckled at the sight as she and Ren approached the table, both of them holding a platter with both hands.

He grinned, "Lots of it." his daughter set the platter of roasted chicken in front of him while Ren placed another one on the other end of the table.

"Wow! This is mouthwatering!" Ethan stared wide-eyed at the glossy red-orange chicken and the delectable whiff made his stomach rumble softly.

Kurenai took the seat beside Shippo on her dad's right hand side, "Isn't it? Shippo and Rin did most of the job for all of the dishes dad." she smiled at the kids who grinned at her.

"They did so well." Ren's clearly impressed as he prepared to carve the roast.

"Really?!" Ethan peeked at the children, "Great job little ones!" he praised and pulled his smartphone to take a photo of the children's beautiful dish before he began carving as well.

"Yeah, this is amazing Shippo, Rin!" Miroku added.

"They look and smell wonderful." Sango also added.

Inuyasha didn't say anything but it is evident that he can't wait to sink his teeth on the dish while Sesshoumaru looked at Rin with pride and the young girl is ecstatic.

They began digging in and sounds of delight floated at the table with the feast tasting as great as they looked and the children were excited to receive the compliments.

The dinner went wonderful; they got to learn more about their friends' father who is really kind, funny and intelligent. He absolutely loves his children and dotes on them especially Kurenai, they found humor at their red-eyed friend being daddy's girl. He told them a bunch of stories about his kids, including Mavick and they got the impression that despite their situation, they are quite a tight-knit family.

It's also evident that Ethan has become quite attached to the little ones as he frequently engaged in conversations with them. He also made an effort to learn more about their guests from the Feudal era and threw them a bunch of questions. Ethan is very personable and humble and they saw very little of the powerful business man sitting at the top floor of a huge company and instead an incredibly loving and doting father.

Knowing that the group still have a busy night of packing ahead of them and a morning flight the next day, Ethan left immediately after dinner but not without saying how much he enjoyed the night with everyone and wishing safe travels.


	27. A Walk In The Past

**TWENTY SEVEN**

The living room looked like a classroom with a group of students working on a school project; the furniture's been moved around as they sat in a circle on the floor littered with suitcases and piles of clothes and the dogs comfortably lying by the piano.

Ren is finishing up with his suitcase while helping Shippo, Sango and Miroku with theirs, Kurenai is organizing their travel documents and helping Rin, Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru in their packing.

Everybody fought to hide the awe eager to show on their faces seeing the fearsome daiyoukai organize his own clothes under the guidance of the miko. It's tough not to look when he makes such a mundane human chore look so elegant and never in a million years did they expect to behold such a sight but it seems Kurenai has earned much of the Sesshoumaru's respect that he's open to most of her recommendations. In return, he earned the respect of the others for putting a little bit of his infamous pride aside to cooperate even just hesitantly, though the same can't be said for his brother...

"Inuyasha… Roll it a little neater, it will take up more space than it actually should!" red eyes glared at perplexed amber orbs.

"It's all the same anyway wench!" the hanyou growled.

"It's not, genius!" she hissed, "Look!" she pointed at Sesshoumaru's pristine stack of clothes and compared it with Inuyasha's disheveled ones, "Sesshoumaru has more clothes rolled up but his pile looks smaller than the fewer clothes you have. It's a waste of space dog boy."

Away from Kurenai's sight, the daiyoukai smirked smugly at the hanyou, pleased with the miko's compliment directed at him and the hanyou growled deep in his throat at his half-brother's arrogance.

"Here, I'll show you again." she pulled a couple of Inuyasha's clothes but the hanyou ignored her; pouting while crossing his arms over his chest. The space between her eyebrows creased, "Hey, Inuyasha?"

The rest of the group stared at the hilarious scene.

"What's up with those two? It's like a pair of brothers fighting over their mother's affection." Sango, with Kirara on her shoulder whispered as she, Ren, Miroku and Shippo leaned towards each other.

"More like fighting to win a woman's heart to me." Ren grinned.

Heads nodded in sync but stopped when they felt the hairs on their necks stand on end, finding themselves on the receiving end of the dog demons' death glares; they forgot about their sharp hearing and all they can do is smile nervously and shuffle back to packing.

Oblivious to what's actually happening, Kurenai again called for the hanyou's attention, "C'mon Inuyasha, just try one more time."

"Whatever wench." Inuyasha continued to sulk but immediately regretted it when he saw his bestfriend's lips press tightly, he knew what comes after that and he most certainly don't want to find out how much the solid concrete under him will hurt if she actually 'sits' him here and now, "Alright! Show me! Show me! I'll do it with you!" he grabbed one of the shirts and laid it on his lap.

"It doesn't have to be perfect, just smooth it out a bit more so it flattens and takes up less space. There you go." it was the hanyou's turn to smile proudly seeing his best friend satisfied with his work.

Kurenai's eyes bounced at everyone in the room with her heart hammering in her chest as she obsessed on a thought. She's not sure if she should talk about it but above all, she doesn't know where to begin.

She can feel two pairs of dog demon eyes poking at her as they felt the quick, heavy thumps in her chest and it made a lump form in her throat. Her eyes landed on her brother; he also, has been watching her and like always when she's in doubt, he's there to give her a nudge. He smiled at her and the words felt easier to speak.

"I appreciate that you guys respected my silence about my condition, especially you, Inuyasha." She started, "It's not that I don't want to talk about it, I just don't know how and where to start."

"Kurenai, if you're uncomfortable with sharing it with us, you don't have to." Sango doesn't want her friend to recall whatever terrible event caused her condition.

The red-eyed shook her head, "No, it's fine. It's a memory from long ago, I'm lucky to be at a place in my life where I can say that for certain. Though it is unfortunate that my body does not agree." Her right hand rubbed up her left arm as if warming herself up from the cold, nervous energy rushing through her and her eyes searched the room for the words to begin her story.

"Our parents died in a multiple car crash. I was nine at the time and Ren was eleven." her fingers sank on her arm above her elbow as her eyes glazed over recalling that fateful day...

She sat by the window with her hands folded under her chin atop the windowsill waiting for their parents' car like she always had. Her brother leaned on his bed's headboard with his keen eyes roaming over the book in his hand.

Anxiety coiled tightly at the pit of her stomach as time ticked away and the steam from the food at the table had long faded and each car that approached sped past their apartment. Her eyes compulsively flew to the wall clock: thirty minutes late. Forty five. One hour. One and a half hour. No sign of their parents.

She pushed the worry to the back of her head and convinced herself that they took a detour. Until their phone rang and the apologetic voice on the other line confirmed what she feared and her world shattered. Her first devastating heartbreak.

"All of a sudden, it was just the two of us. A couple of kids who don't know what to do. Back then, Ren was a really sick child who for most of the time was bedridden. Hard to believe when you look at him now right?" she chuckled when her brother puffed his chest out proudly. They smiled at the siblings' effort to approach the memory lightly.

"I assumed the role of the older sibling and although our parents taught us to be responsible children, as a nine-year-old kid, I was still overwhelmed. We have no money; we cannot access whatever money our parents saved for us until we're adults, and I had to take care not just of myself but my brother too."

"You didn't have any relatives to take you in?" Miroku asked and the siblings chuckled dryly.

"Oh, we did alright." Ren replied, rolling his leather belt around his hand a little too forcefully.

Kurenai continued, "My father had an older brother who lived in another state called Oklahoma with his wife and daughter. When our parents died, he offered to raise us and sustain my brother's medical care. For helpless kids like us, it was like an angel appeared in front of us."

"We couldn't be anymore wrong." Ren said, eyes dazed as his memories played in his head.

She nodded, "When we started living in their ranch, we were aware that we have to do something in return for their care. Since my brother is incapable of moving around, I agreed to their proposition that I should take care of the chores around the house as compensation."

"But they're your family Kurenai, isn't it too much of them to demand that from you? You were just a kid." Sango set her pile of clothes into her suitcase.

"I think it was fair, it's not cheap to have two more mouths to feed and one with big medical bills. Besides, I always did the chores even when our parents were alive so it wasn't a problem. Anyway, I thought it was the perfect setup but things got ugly very fast." she ran her fingers through her hair.

Sensing her distress, Zodiac treaded to her side and rested his head on her thigh. Her trembling fingers combed through his fur and finding comfort in the fuzzy warmth, she continued, "I was physically abused."

To say their friends from the Feudal era were shocked was an understatement, their mouths flew open and their eyes grew wide.

"Whenever they think my execution of the task is not up to their standards, my uncle would hit me, and it's worse when he's drunk which is almost every night."

"That bastard's wife didn't do anything to stop him?!" Inuyasha's voice roared in the house.

"Oh, she's in on it." Ren scoffed.

"She would also slap me, pull my hair, shove my head in a sink full of dirty water..." they winced at each cruel detail.

"And that daughter of theirs." the older brother gritted his teeth.

Kurenai raised her eyebrows, "She was wickedly smart; she would deliberately put permanent stains on her clothes so I would get punished when I can't clean it properly."

"How can they do such a horrible thing to their own family?" Sango felt the corner of her eyes heat up.

"I recall my father telling me that he and uncle have a strained relationship but I was not told of the details and as young and desperate as I was, I jumped at the first sign of help. Big mistake." she shook her head,

"Anyway, at the time, all I could think of was as long as they don't lay a finger on my brother and continue to aid in his recovery, I'll endure it. Ren didn't have it easy either, I know it was hard for him to be unable to help me."

Ren clenched his fists, "It's not exactly thrilling to see your sister covered in wounds and bruises limping as she walked but she always fought to smile for me and encouraged me to get better. The only thing I can do is focus on getting better so I can get her out of there."

"How did it end mama?" Shippo asked, his eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

She patted the kitsune's caramel head, "Unfortunately sweetie, it went on for over two years, an eternity when you're going through that kind of nightmare."

"It's not surprising that you developed such a condition after going through that much abuse." Miroku said.

"That's not what caused it Miroku." That little sentence made their blood run cold. The thought that their friend went through something worse than a senseless beating made their heart break, "I don't think the kids should hear this Ren."

"I agree." Ren grabbed a pair of earplugs and plugged his headphones to his phone, "Shippo come here."

"But..." Shippo protested.

"It's not something you should hear young one." he insisted and the kit had no choice but to obey.

Kurenai grabbed some earplugs as well, "You too Rin." though pouting, Rin can't do anything but let her adoptive mother block her ears.

Confident that the children can't hear, the story continued, "One night, uncle's wife and daughter went to visit his in-laws and because he doesn't have a great relationship with them, he stayed back. Little did we know, he had other plans."

"In the middle of the night, I was jolted awake by a massive force on my throat and mouth and I found myself face-to-face with the horrifying image of uncle on top of me with his hands over my mouth and throat. His eyes were manic, staring at me like a wild beast and fear rose steady in me. It grew even more when he..."

She took a shaky breath as her throat began to tighten. No matter how much time has passed, no matter how strong she's become, the memories still make her sick, "grinded his lower half into me and whispered 'If you make a sound, I'll kill you and your brother.'" her uncle's voice echoed in her head, she could still smell his alcohol breath that fanned her face and stomach tumbled.

Kurenai's friends felt every fiber of their being quiver nauseatingly as every word she said painted the gruesome scenario in their heads.

Sesshoumaru's jaw tightened and his eyebrows knitted together, struggling to contain the intense repulsion twisting in his stomach and his beast's raging fury which he also feels himself. He now understood why she said she's gone through something worse than facing demons, her uncle is not human and worse than a monster to commit such vile acts towards a pure and loving soul as this woman.

"Kurenai..." Inuyasha attempted to hold Kurenai's trembling hand, but he knew that the contact will not soothe her as he intended and will only add to her distress, "Did he?" he can't say the next word, he's not even sure if he wants to hear the answer.

It broke Kurenai's heart to see fear in those golden eyes, "No, he didn't. His words sparked my survival instincts and I fought back." she saw his form relax and puff out the breath he's been holding, so did everybody else in the room.

"All I thought about was I can't let him violate me, I can't let him hurt my brother, and miraculously, I was able to summon strength I never knew I had to strike his crotch with my knee."

Sesshoumaru smirked, _Well done._ He silently praised the miko's courage, even his beast purred with pride.

Ren continued with his memory of the story, "Uncle's howl woke me up and I found him curled on the floor in pain, Peaches is on her bed terrified and shaking. She looked up at me and all of a sudden, she grabbed the candlestick on the bedside table and he hit uncle on the back of the head."

"I think we can remove this now." he slipped the headphones off Shippo's head, Kurenai did the same with Rin.

"We won't understand the story anymore." the young kit kept his pout.

"Sweetie, there are things that are not appropriate for kids to have knowledge of." Kurenai explained.

"Yes mama." Shippo nodded.

Running a hand on Rin's hair slightly muzzled by the headphones, she told the final part of the tale, "I grabbed Ren—by this time, Ren has been in the best health he's ever been—and the pouch we hid in a drawer that has a small amount of money I saved from secretly selling jewelry I made from strings and beads to a peddler and bolted out of the house thankfully before uncle regained consciousness because we heard his angry voice echo over the fields calling out for us. We kept running until we got to town and continued to run further into it, into a dark alley under a cardboard and between black garbage bins where we thought he wouldn't find us."

"That was the longest three hours of our lives, Peaches." Ren chuckled at the memory.

"Yeah. We stayed awake the whole time, anxious that uncle will suddenly appear." she shook her head, "When the sun finally came up, we rode a bus to the city of Oklahoma."

"We were awash with relief to be finally free from that nightmare, Peaches most of all, that she fainted while we're walking down the street. People started to gather around us while I called for help. That's when the owner of the café/bar across the street approached us and carried sis inside his café and tended to her."

"The man is our first adoptive father, Dave." Kurenai noted though she let her brother take over the storytelling. This part is better told from his perspective.

"He's better known as 'pops'." Ren continued, "Learning about the night we went through, he brought Peaches to the hospital and I tagged along. That was when her trauma manifested for the first time."

It was Ren's turn to be vulnerable this time, they watched as his eyelids hooded his olive green orbs, "She panicked when she woke up in an unfamiliar place and it got worse when the nurses arrived, she hysterically kicked and screamed when they tried to touch her. They had to hold her down and sedate her so she can get the treatment she needs." his eyes pinched close, remembering is as painful as the time it unfolded right before his eyes and it wasn't even the worst of it.

"We thought her first episode was caused by her confusion at being in an unfamiliar environment but she continued to freak out at any attempt to touch her… including mine." he saw his sister look down at the husky resting on her, running her hand through his fur compulsively. This will always be the part that's the hardest for them to remember, "Pops brought us back to his home above the café and for over two weeks, Peaches isolated herself in her room. She just sat on the bed staring into space, didn't speak, didn't eat much, and didn't sleep because when she does, the nightmares plague her."

"It was hard on Ren too. Watching me go through that, I know he wanted to console me and the fact that he can't because I detest being touched was painful for him. It wasn't his fault and yet, I'm repulsed by my own brother's touch." Kurenai kept her eyes on Zodiac as she spoke, the dog raised his muzzle and licked her cheek as if to relieve the guilt in her eyes; she forced a smile and rubbed his neck.

"One day, we were surprised to find her up and about, she even asked to work at the café. Pops agreed, but he's also worried because aside from still flinching when someone gets close, Peaches acted as if she didn't go through a terrible ordeal." Ren resumed packing and squeezed a pair of shoes into his suitcase, "I didn't understand it at the time, because that's how she's always been. She braved through our parents' death and didn't cry, she didn't cry through the physical abuse she went through from uncle's family, and she didn't cry despite freaking out when someone touches her or through her nightmares. Nothing."

This shocked them because when they think about it, they don't have any memory of Kurenai ever shedding a tear. She's very expressive with her compassion and sympathy but they never saw her break down.

"But it's not because she lacked emotion, I believe you guys know that." the brother added, "Having a heavy responsibility fall on her shoulders at a very young age, she has always felt the need to be as strong as she can so we can survive. We later learned that it was unhealthy for her not to deal with her emotions properly but that's all she's ever known."

"But I'm thankful to pops for teaching me that there are people capable of genuine kindness that doesn't hide malice behind it." Kurenai smiled, her first genuine smile since the story started.

"Yeah. But you didn't make it easy for him." Ren's lips tugged into a smirk.

She chuckled, "Not like you can blame me, I experienced brutal abuse in the hands of my own family who promised to…" she wiggled her fingers for air quotes, "Take care of us. Of course I'm cynical!"

They agreed, it's only natural to be doubtful of somebody lending out a hand especially after your own family's betrayal.

"Pops was extremely understanding, he never forced the connection with my sister but he also never stopped making her feel that his intentions were pure. Eventually, she warmed up to him little by little and she agreed to his proposed adoption."

"We owe so much to him." Kurenai touched her injured ankle where her tiny anchor tattoo rests. Pops served in the U.S. Navy before opening a café, she got the tattoo in his memory under the small overlapping wings tattoo dedicated to her real parents that curved around the knob of bone on her ankle. It makes her feel like she has their guidance in every step she takes just like they did when they were alive.

"Yeah, I wish we were given more time with him." Ren's eyes also rested on his forearm tattoo, each one of the three sparrows represent his late parents; their Pops is one of them, "He died from a heart attack four years after he took us in." their second devastating heartbreak.

Kurenai nodded, "He was our biggest fan, so proud every time he sees us perform on stage. I just wish he was able to see us on the biggest stage of our career, mom and dad too." the siblings' longing for their departed loved ones was heavy in the room and the listeners felt their heart clench.

Kurenai looked out into the sparkling Los Angeles skyline, "Well, I know they'll be watching from the Heavens." she smiled.

"Yeah, they always have." Ren agreed.

"Besides, we have some special audiences here who might be present during the anniversary concert." the red-eyed winked at them, "And of course dad and Mavick."

"Those who are here with us deserve our best performance." her brother declared.

"We can't wait to see your performance." Miroku smiled.

"You'll only have to wait 'til the day after tomorrow." Ren grinned while zipping his suitcase closed but stopped all of a sudden, "Well, we can also do it now." he wiggled his eyebrows at his sister who smiled at the idea.

They stared at him, "Huh?"

"We can give you a special private performance right now." Kurenai smiled at them.


	28. Sneak Peek

Hi guys! I'm so sorry that an update took ages, things happened, plus, I had to navigate my way to painting this chapter without the lyrics which is a challenge. This story is also something that is building itself as I go and I want to take my time to tell this story as I'd enjoy reading it. My inspiration is seeing the characters live out a domestic setting and the end is still a little hazy but I hope this story is still enjoyable for you.

I have updated most of the previous chapters as I noticed some inconsistencies. And I would like to thank you guys for reading my story and being patient with me.

 **Disclaimer:** 1st song referred to in this chapter is "Looking Up" by Paramore. I'm a big fan of Paramore and their songs will be incorporated in the story as Kurenai and Ren's band's songs. But I do not claim ownership Paramore's songs or any of the other songs in the story, I appreciate them and the life they add to the story. The 2nd song is "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac.

* * *

 **TWENTY EIGHT**

"What's that uncle?" Shippo asked as Ren stepped into the re-arranged living room holding a gourd-shaped item on its long neck.

"This is a string music instrument called a guitar," Ren answered, sitting beside his sister on the couch and cradling the lightwood guitar on his lap. "You stroke the strings and they produce music," their guests watched with curiosity as each flick of the pick on the strings, "What do you want to play peaches?"

Kurenai pushed her lips to the side in thought, "Hmm... _Looking up_?"

"That's good. Ready?"

"Yup."

"1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4." Ren began strumming the guitar, filling the room with crisp, lively music.

Kurenai bobbed her head with the music and moments later, she began to sing… and her voice is astonishing.

It flowed clear and powerful that it made the hair on their body stand on end yet it's also warm and smooth, like a cozy blanket's hug on a cold night.

Ren is just as amazing with the incredible music he created with each energetic strum of his right hand over the strings and how the rhythm changes at the swift slide of his left hand and movement of his fingers on the neck of the guitar.

Listening to the words of the song, they realized that it spoke of how things finally took a turn for the better for the siblings after all of the pain and hardships they went through.

After hearing their story, they are in awe of their strong will to survive and an even stronger bond with each other that got them through great adversity and propelled them to the success they have now. What's even more impressive is they didn't let their dark days consume their hearts and lived to be some of the most compassionate people they know.

There's even a small part of Sesshoumaru that wished that he and Inuyasha had a bond a little closer to what Ren and Kurenai has.

Their audience may be small but the siblings poured their souls into their performance. They can feel it in every strum of the guitar, every time Kurenai closed her eyes when she sang, and every smile they give each other and their audience. It's obvious that they love what they do for a living.

Sesshoumaru can't take his eyes off Kurenai the entire time as if he's spellbound. Her voice is incredible and reflects her personality perfectly; strong, soothing and captivating all at the same time and he can feel his heart stir with every note she sang.

For the first time in his centuries of life, the daiyoukai who's a master of control doesn't know what to do with himself, no one has affected him this much. Never did he feel such a strong pull to a woman. The desire to be beside her all the time, to want to hear her beautiful voice sing just for him and to have that warm bright smile directed at him. He's never felt this way before, not even for a demoness, so why her? Why now?

The song ended with a final strum on the guitar and the kids immediately cheered at their small performance. The others took a second to recover from the amazement before applauding.

"Your voice is sooo beautiful mama!" Rin clapped.

"You're so cool uncle!" Shippo gushed.

"That was wonderful you two! No wonder you're successful." Sango complimented, even Kirara meowed happily on her shoulder.

Kurenai smiled, "Thank you. I'm glad you liked it, though there are a lot of greater talents than we are." her eyes went to Inuyasha, of course she wants to know what her bestfriend thinks.

The hanyou looked away, and refusing to give a straight out compliment, he said, "Hmp! Overachieving wench..."

She can only shake her head and smile, "You really know how to compliment people." she said sarcastically before her eyes met Sesshoumaru's and she held her breath.

His amber gaze held her crimson ones and she can feel warm tingles crawl under her skin, a feeling alien to her and yet she can't help but admire the daiyoukai's golden orbs.

They weren't like Inuyasha's ferocious stare, Sesshoumaru's are also intense but it reflected his elegance which made them mesmerizing. But once again, instead of the icy glare that she's been used to, she's confronted by warmth swirling in those golden orbs.

There's an urge bubbling in Kurenai to identify the foreign emotion Sesshoumaru's eyes hold because she can feel it stirring foreign emotions of her own leaving her confused, terrified and excited all at once.

"Mama! One more!" Shippo snatched her away from her thoughts and eye contact with the daiyoukai.

"Yes mama! Again!" Rin added.

Pushing her flurry of emotions, Kurenai smiled at the pair of puppy dog eyes staring at her, "Okay, but just one more okay? You have to go to bed soon, we're leaving early tomorrow." she told them and they responded with a furious nod.

"Well, sis usually sings a lullaby to the dogs anyway. So it's perfect." Ren said setting his guitar on the space his sister left on the couch as she headed for the piano.

Miroku's brows stitched together, "Where are you going Kurenai?" he watched as the miko pulled the curved lid up the glossy black furniture nestled in the space between the living room and dining room next to the window and sat behind it.

Kurenai pulled another lid up and they saw a row of white strips peppered with a few shorter black strips. To their amazement, she tapped her fingers swiftly over the strips and a pleasant melody bloomed in the room.

"Wow! What a beautiful sound mama!" Rin ran to the side of the piano and stared at the keys her mother just played. Kurenai tapped the space beside her and the young girl excitedly hopped on, Shippo joined them shortly and the two kids sandwiched their mother.

"So that's actually a musical instrument." Sango said, "I thought it was a decorative sculpture."

Kurenai smiled, "Yeah, this is called a piano. They produce music when you press the keys. It's the favorite of the furry little ones for their lullaby." she peered at the furry mounds at the foot of the piano waiting for her to continue playing.

"This song is not like the first one, we didn't write it but it holds special meaning to us because it greatly interprets a certain point in our lives." she said before she began playing.

A silky, gentle melody started waltzing around the room accompanied shortly by the caress of Kurenai's voice.

Her performance is enchanting, her fingers gracefully fluttered over the keys creating a beautifully tranquil music accompanied by her voice as gentle and relaxing as the breeze that brought her listeners back to the quiet times they had at the Feudal era, under the stars sitting comfortably around the warmth of the bonfire.

As her voice and the melody faded in the air, applause erupted in the room.

"Beautiful…" Miroku stared at Kurenai in awe as he clapped.

"You're amazing mama!" Shippo praised.

"Yes! It's like your fingers were dancing!" Rin wiggled her fingers in both hands and her mother giggled.

"Your parents taught you how to play Kurenai? They must be exceptional musicians as well." The demon slayer prodded.

Kurenai pulled the lid over the piano keys, "Yes, they taught us to play classical music at a very young age. Although for them, playing music is more of a hobby or a way to make us sleep back then but they were outstanding."

"Kurenai has been messing with the piano since she was three years old." her brother grinned.

"And you've been playing the violin like an adult since you were five." she smiled but their friends knitted their eyebrows at the mention of another instrument, "He'll show you next time." she promised.

"I want to learn to play it, mama!" Rin squealed.

Of course Shippo doesn't want to be left out, "Me too!"

Inusyasha sneered, "Heh! Dream on pipsqueak fox, your brain will not be able to catch up with that."

"Inuyasha…" Kurenai uttered in a tone the hanyou knew very well but before he can react, it was already too late, "SIT BOY!"

The hanyou crashed flat onto the tiled floor.

Ren's eyes glimmered in amusement, "Wow! I finally got to see it! That IS a neat trick sis!"

"You evil wench! That hurt more than before!" Inuyasha growled when he pushed himself up.

Kurenai rolled her eyes, "Oh, cry me a river. That'll teach you to behave a bit more and besides, I won't get to do that as much in this era." she smirked which grew into a yawn. She looked at the kids, "I'll teach you when we get back home okay? And uncle Ren will also play the violin for you." the said uncle winked at them. "It's bedtime for now, for all of us. We have an early start tomorrow."


	29. Beast Counseling

SURPRISE! Two chapters in one go! I really want to make it up to you for being absent for so long so here's Chapter 29! :*

 **TWENTY NINE**

Sesshoumaru lay restless on his bunk, struggling to sleep when his mind is in complete disarray. If there's anything the daiyoukai can take away from this day, it's the undeniable attraction he feels for Kurenai.

Shockingly, in the short two days he's spent with the miko, she has steadily mesmerized him in a way that no one has ever done. She's beautiful, strong-willed and compassionate and her voice is the most magnificent thing he has ever heard in his life; he's never felt so at peace until he heard her sing and he wants to listen to her for all eternity.

{ _So, you finally admit it. You're attracted to her._ } Sesshoumaru gave no violent response at the guttural voice. With the amount of times the woman has occupied his mind in just this one day, he can't deny it anymore and he's quite expecting his beast to gloat sooner or later.

/ _Any interest this Sesshoumaru holds is insignificant nevertheless. Our past encounters have been generally unpleasant and she holds no good impression of this Sesshoumaru._ /

His beast's haughty laughter thundered annoyingly in his head, { _So you're actually aware of what a big jerk you are!_ } a growl rolled in Sesshoumaru's chest but the beast continued.

{ _Look, did you leave the room when she gave us our left arm back? When she thanked you for arranging the plates on the table for her? When she worried whether you liked the food? When she praised how you looked like at this era's clothing? I can go on and on but thing is, someone who doesn't have a good impression of another person wouldn't do that._ }

Sesshoumaru kept silent, it's true that eventhough he tried to hurt her before, she has been cordial towards him most of the time despite his half-brother's objection; she even gave him the gift of his arm back. Her big heart is definitely what started to pull him towards her.

{ _The fact that you, the feared Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands who has an endless line of demonesses desiring to be your mate is troubled by this, proves just how extraordinary she is and you're an idiot if you let her slip away. She'll be the perfect mate and an exceptional Lady of the West._ } the idiot remark didn't sit well with the daiyoukai, but his beast does have a point.

This is the first time he finds himself wracking his brain all day and night because of a woman, and if that's not a sign that he needs to go and explore the possibilities then he might be going crazy. But there's one matter that they can't ignore.

/ _Once we return to our own era, these emotions will be irrelevant._ /

{ _Do you really believe that these emotions you're finally feeling after centuries of life will be reduced to something that's irrelevant?_ }

No. Sesshoumaru knows that's not the case. He can feel it whenever he got lost in her decadent pair of rubies, a promise of a journey more fulfilling than his quest to be the most powerful demon in the land.

/ _Very well, this Sesshoumaru will try building a connection with her._ /

{ _And I will see to it that you don't ruin everything._ }

/ _Why do you find the need to do so?_ / the Lord snapped.

{ _Because your ridiculous pride will get in the way of everything, Mr. Perfect. And besides, you have no idea on how to do courtships do you?_ }

/ _And YOU do?_ /

{ _Unlike you, I've been keenly searching for a suitable mate. I know a thing or two about emotions you stupidly dismiss as unnecessary_ }

His beast is obviously enjoying gloating at him and it's pissing him off, / _Do as you see fit, but if you try and turn this Sesshoumaru into something that he's not—_ /

{ _You know that she wouldn't want that either, what she'd want is to see YOU._ }

It's true and that made the miko more precious to Sesshoumaru / _Hn. Now go, this Sesshoumaru would like his rest now._ /

The beast chuckled, { _Very well. This will be fun._ }

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes before closing them, finding his mind at peace with him and his beast's decision. It's defying all logic he's ever known, the logic of their current situation because if things do work out, then what? Will she live her life with him in the Feudal era? Or will he stay here in her era?

But none of that mattered right now, all he knows is he looked forward to the days to come with her.

He fell asleep with Kurenai's singing echoing in his head and it's the most peaceful sleep he's ever had.


	30. Playing House

**THIRTY**

Kurenai giggled through tickling wet kisses and bouncing fur, "I really hate not being able to bring you guys." she rubbed the fur babies, "Mama will bring you treats okay? Make sure to behave, I'll call you."

Sesshoumaru has grown fond of this scenario; she adores the dogs as if they're her own pups and they adore her just the same. He can't help but imagine her with THEIR own pups. Okay, that's it, he's doomed. It seems he likes her more than he thought!

( _Great demon._ ) Zodiac's voice echoed in Sesshoumaru's mind, and he looked at the dog but didn't respond, ( _Please, make sure she's away from danger._ ) the dog asked.

He turned his back on the dog as if to ignore him, /Hn./ he replied and the dog barked in gratitude.

Kurenai thought the dog is calling out to her, "Yes, handsome. I'll miss you too, you and your siblings stay out of trouble 'kay?" she got a lick in reply and she giggled, "Take care of them as always, Hannah." she told the short-haired brunette standing by the door.

Hannah's their adoptive cousin and one of the few people they fully trust to watch the dogs.

Hannah smiled, "Yep, I'll keep them entertained." her wide brown eyes wandered to the guy her cousin called Sesshoumaru. His handsome features are as exotic as his name and he caught her attention the moment she stepped foot in the house making her instantly regret not wearing something a little bit more enticing to highlight her best assets for those cool golden eyes to see. She'll have to keep that in mind once they get back.

"We're good to go guys!" Ren called out when he and Miguel shut the rear door of one of the two rental SUVs parked in front of the house.

Split in two groups, the men hopped on one car and the women and the kids got on the other, the dogs barked their goodbyes as the cars drove off.

* * *

A handful of paparazzi greeted them when they arrived at the airport and after shuffling through that, the siblings stopped for a few autographs and photos with fans they ran into.

Those from the Feudal era are in awe of how patient the siblings are with having people hovering around their personal space whenever they're outside especially knowing Kurenai's condition. But the siblings adore their fans and are grateful to them for the success they have now.

Finding some privacy at the airport lounge, they got comfortable while waiting for their flight. Inuyasha is busy snacking, Ren sipped on a cocktail, Miguel has his head down on his smartphone, Sango, Miroku, and Sesshoumaru relaxed on the couches while watching Kurenai and the kids.

Kurenai and Shippo are teaching Rin the alphabet. She taught Shippo to read, write and count whenever they have time at the Feudal era and thinks Rin should learn as well.

It's not just the kids, there's a lot she needs to teach the rest of her friends so they can navigate through her era on their own if needed. They're gonna be here a while, she tried researching for leads on restoring the well but didn't find anything.

"Papa!" Rin called out to Sesshoumaru and everyone tensed. The daiyoukai's new moniker will need some getting used to.

During dinner last night, the siblings encouraged Rin to address her admired Lord Sesshoumaru in a more casual way, it was the logical thing to do in this era. Rin excitedly asked the daiyoukai if she can call him 'papa' shocking everyone. Although for Sesshoumaru, it had been a shock in terms of how right it felt for the young girl to address him as such with Kurenai as her mama. Of course it didn't show on his face and he gave the most indifferent approval he can.

Kurenai however felt a little uncomfortable because she's concerned that it may not be sitting well with the proud Lord of the Western Lands to be called papa by Rin and then address a human as her mama. But as long as he's not voicing his disapproval, she'll indulge the child.

The siblings are also thankful that Miguel understood the 'playing house' situation. He understood that Rin, who's an orphan like the siblings, desire a family environment and found it in Kurenai and Sesshoumaru.

Rin stood in front of the daiyoukai in high spirits, "Mama taught me how to sing the alphabet! Listen!" The young girl took a deep breath and sang the popular nursery rhyme, "A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O... O... Mama, I forgot the rest." she looked over at her defeated.

"That's okay sweetheart, you did great for your first try. Not many kids can remember as much as you did." Kurenai encouraged then threw a look at the daiyoukai silently urging him to do the same.

{Now's your chance.} his beast automatically jumped in.

/Let this Sesshoumaru move on his own, you are only allowed to interfere when this Sesshoumaru has erred/ he declared.

{It will be too late if I let you make a mistake, arrogant dog.} the beast snarled, {Fine, let's see what you can do.} the beast stepped back.

Sesshoumaru looked at the young girl who's waiting for his opinion, "You fared well Rin." with that, Rin clasped her hands together happily before jogging back to Kurenai.

"She's a really smart girl, she'll learn quickly." Kurenai told Sesshoumaru.

"I shall leave her education to you. As you know, from where we're from, people don't see the need for women to be educated like men." he replied.

Her eyebrows shot up and she scoffed, "Which is clearly a mistake because women are totally capable of doing what men can and much more."

"Indeed." the one word has such weight because as he said it, he looked at Kurenai intently, relaying the thought that she is a fitting example of a capable woman. The corners of his mouth also turned up into a small smile of amusement.

Kurenai looked away, she knows she's blushing and who wouldn't? Sesshoumaru smiled! The smile was against the rules! Sesshoumaru doesn't smile! Especially not to a human! And yet he did and he looked sinfully handsome.

On the other hand, the daiyoukai is quite pleased with himself as he watched the blush tint her cheeks. For the first time, he was able to make her feel flustered and he was enthralled at the sight.

{Not bad.} the beast complimented which he responded with a proud mental smirk.

His eyes remained on Kurenai with the kids as they went back to their study session. Looks like it's not as impossible as he thought it would be.

* * *

"Inuyasha! Calm the hell down!" Kurenai hissed through gritted teeth as she dragged the hanyou by the arm as they headed to the boarding gate. Inuyasha's been freaking out ever since finding out about the mode of transportation they'll be travelling in. He's not exactly thrilled to be dangling in the air inside a tin can.

"No! I'm not getting in there! How can something that big fly without mag-" Kurenai's hand covered his mouth.

"It's his first time getting on a plane so his nervous." she told the ground attendant who smiled in return before whispering to Inuyasha, "If you don't calm down, I swear I'll sit you so hard the others will need to throw you a rope to get you out." When Inuyasha mellowed down she moved her hand and continued to walk with him, "We've been flying like this for years Inuyasha and we're still here. Besides, you faced death right in the eye countless of times, this is nothing." she squeezed his arm as assurance.

"Besides Inuyasha, you freaking out is also not helping sis. She hates flying as well, she's actually freaking out inside." Ren said over his shoulder as he walked ahead with Shippo.

Kurenai glared at him like daggers, "You're not helping either." she chided to which her brother chuckled, "It's normal okay Inuyasha? We'll sit together so we can distract each other." she looked behind her as they walked to the jet bridge, "Rin, I know I promised we'll sit together sweetie but can I sit with Inuyasha instead? He's really scared of flying."

Even if the hanyou wants to refute the statement, his earlier freak out doesn't help his case.

"Yes mama! Rin will be okay because she's with papa." Rin replied happily.

Kurenai's heart pounded at hearing her and Sesshoumaru's parental moniker in one sentence but managed to casually respond, "That's great, thanks Rin."

Sesshoumaru didn't like the situation. He felt something twinge inside him as he watched how close the woman he's interested in and his half-brother are. Though they both declared that there will never be a romantic connection between the two of them, their interaction still irritates him and he knows it's because he longed to be as close as his brother is to her.


	31. NY State of Mind

**A/N: I do not own Inuyasha and its characters, that recognition belongs to the incredible Rumiko Takahashi. *This story is COPYRIGHT PROTECTED, to protect a passion that I pour my heart and soul in.***

 **To the new Followers/Favorites it's a pleasure and thank you! To those who've been here for a while, thank you for continuing to read this story!**

 **I hope you enjoy it and I appreciate feedback and constructive criticisms.**

 **-thebeastwithin0016**

* * *

 **THIRTY ONE**

They survived the five-hour flight and landed safely at JFK, and although the siblings have already taught their friends about telling time and time-zones, they were surprised to see that it's already evening when they left early in LA.

They arrived at 1 Hotel Central Park and the siblings smiled, it's the perfect hotel for their friends to stay at for their first interstate trip in the modern world. It's a nature oasis amidst the concrete buildings.

The exterior of the building's first two floors is trimmed with vibrant green foliage and wood, and the interiors exude modern elegance fused with nature; walls alternate between white marble, exposed brick walls and reclaimed wood, and living plants hung from the ceiling and adorned many flat surfaces. The eco-friendly vibe definitely helped in putting the guests from the Feudal era at ease.

They turned heads at the lobby and it wasn't just because the lead members of Gemini are here but because of the impact their group made with each of them being physically attractive, they make one good-looking bunch.

Sesshoumaru especially, had caught a lot of the women's eyes. Even the female front desk staff checking them in is having a hard time keeping her eyes off the gorgeously exotic daiyoukai.

In her ten years in the entertainment industry, Kurenai has been used to the people ogling them, but this is the first time she felt irritated and it's not even because of the attention towards her, but because of the women looking all dreamy-eyed at Sesshoumaru of all people! She fought not to show the agitation on her face but…

"This is interesting, this is the first time I've seen you make that kind of face peaches." her brother teased as they head to the elevators.

"I'm just tired from the flight brother." she reasoned indifferently but she got a knowing look as a reply.

"If you say so." Ren shrugged his shoulders but his suggestive grin didn't disappear from his face and Kurenai rolled her eyes. She's thankful that their demon companions have their exceptional hearings toned down or she would never hear the end of it.

The siblings aren't sure if they should be surprised that the additional room that their dad got them is the largest suite in the hotel. Two bedrooms with two and a half bathrooms, a living room, dining room and media room.

Kurenai can only shake her head, despite making her point clear, her dad still went the over-the-top route. But she appreciates his thoughtfulness in making sure her friends are as comfortable as possible.

The siblings agreed that the ladies should stay in the two-bedroom suite while the men will stay in the connecting king and double room that was initially booked for the siblings and Miguel. Miroku, Inuyasha and Shippo will share the king room and Ren and Sesshoumaru will stay in the double room. They got Miguel his own room, keeping him away from their big secret.

The rooms, just like the lobby, reflect nature and sustainability. Decked with reclaimed wood walls and living plants, there's even a sand timer in the shower to promote water conservation. It's also not short of luxury with insanely comfortable beds and spacious marbled walk-in shower especially at the women's suite which has bathtubs in the both bathrooms.

"Hey guys!" Kurenai hollered at the video of her fur babies on her phone. She walked to the window for better lighting, "How are you? I miss you!"

Rin and Shippo were lured by the barks echoing from her phone and they popped over their adoptive mother's shoulder to say hi to their furry friends.

"Hello Sawyer! Hello Nimbus! Toffee! We miss you!" Rin waved at the camera.

"It's really amazing that you can talk to anybody face to face no matter how far away they are mama." Shippo watched Nimbus nuzzle the screen, while Sawyer and Toffee did their own thing in the background.

Kurenai rubbed the kit's head, "Yeah, connection is important in this era; many times, we have to be away from our loved ones and we also crave new bonds and maintaining them so humans found a way to connect with each other. Oh Sango, Kirara's here!" she turned the phone towards the approaching Sango to say hi to her fur baby that stayed home.

"How are you, Kirara? Are you being good?" Kirara meowed earnestly, wiggling the silver wing charm dangling from her collar that Kurenai casted a spell on to hide her demonic features and powers, "Good girl, don't give Hannah any problems. I'll see you soon." the nekomata meowed again before the screen panned to Zodiac.

"Oh there you are! What have you been up to?" Kurenai giggled as Zodiac pawed at the screen before nuzzling it. Oh, she misses them so much. She hasn't spent much time with them since she had to travel to and from the Feudal era, and whatever time she gets to spend with them doesn't feel long enough. The red eyed promised herself to spend more time with them now that she won't be having Feudal era trips any time soon.

"I miss you too buddy. We have to go to dinner but I'll call again later okay?"

"Peaches, over here." Kurenai flipped the camera to Ren on the couch, "Behave you guys, so we'll bring home trrreeaaatoooos!" he declared which got loud barks in response and they chuckled.

"See you soon little ones! Love you!" Kurenai blew kisses on the phone, "Thanks Hannah, take care!"

Rin and Shippo waved, "Bye bye!" and dashed towards the window where Inuyasha is taking in the view of Central Park.

"Let's freshen up a bit then have dinner, I'm craving pizza so maybe we'll go out to eat?" Kurenai suggested.

"Mm, New York tends to get people in the pizza state of mind." Ren hopped off the couch, "Let's go gents! I'll message you when we're ready," he told her as they filed out of the room.

* * *

It was a beautiful night in New York, the streets are full of energy and the weather's perfect for a post-meal walk and quick sightseeing. Kurenai's cravings were satisfied by some exceptional pizzas accompanied by a tasty steak she shared with her brother topped off with a refreshing and decadent bowl of sorbet and gelato.

It's not just the great meal that gave the red eyed an extra pep in her step and a permanent smile on her face; it's being able to walk through the streets of New York with her friends from the Feudal era.

Kurenai imagined what it would be like to have her friends in her era a few times, and although there've been some drawbacks; mostly the demons' heightened senses, the reality has been wonderful. She felt giddy as they looked around with curiosity and amazement sparkling in their eyes.

But as much as they wanted to do more sightseeing, she still needs to be cautious with her ankle so they leisurely walked straight back to the hotel from the restaurant.

They decided to watch a movie in the women's suite since everyone's still buzzing from the excitement of being in New York and they won't be sleeping early despite the siblings' early call time for their performance at Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series tomorrow.

The Lion King's original animation played on the TV, but the movie night isn't as relaxing as the siblings expected.

Why? Well…

"Oh, this reminds me of that painter from hell we went up against a long time ago." Miroku fondly recalled from where he sat on the floor after hearing Ren's explanation on cartoon animation and the siblings are doused in panic.

It didn't help that Shippo walked with him down memory lane, "Oh yeah, I remember how the drawings in his scroll came to life!"

Kurenai squeezed Shippo in her arms in warning, "Right, it was so realistic, it feels like it will jump out and grab you. Right Miroku?"

"Well, it really did ju—" Miroku stopped when he turned and found Kurenai with a wide-eyed glare and subtly pointing her mouth to Miguel's direction. The monk got the message and nervously continued, "Ye-yeah, that painter's amazingly talented. My painting was nowhere good as his."

Miguel leaned into Ren, "I'm sorry Ren but how deep in the forests of Japan did Kurenai go to find these friends of hers?" Ren chuckled at the question, releasing some of the panic he felt at Miroku's slip up. He's grateful that his assistant didn't read much into the statements thrown.

"Don't hate on simple, tech-free living Miguel, _I'd_ like to move to a quaint little cottage in the woods myself." Ren tried to divert Miguel's dangerous curiosity.

"Oh yeah? Will you leave a trail of breadcrumbs for the women? Send pigeons?" the assistant rolled his eyes at his boss, "I'm not hating, it's just hard to think that there are still people who are unaware of TVs and cartoons and cars and Kurenai actually found them. I feel like we should be watching Tarzan instead."

Kurenai's chuckle slipped into their hushed conversation, "That's a great idea for our next movie night!"

This is another drawback of the sudden arrival of their friends from the Feudal era. They kept the circle that knows about Kurenai's time traveling very small and they plan to keep it that way, but it was easier when it was just the red eyed disappearing for a few days. It's harder to keep two dog demons, a kitsune, a demon slayer with a size shifting cat, and a monk with a vacuum in his hand under wraps when they attract attention with their physical features and newborn-like curiosity especially with their celebrity lifestyle surrounding them with people they can't trust completely and a frequent exposure to the public eye.

The movie ended without further incident and their friends were able to enjoy the movie despite having to be mindful with what they say.

"Goodnight Papa! See you tomorrow!" Rin waved to Sesshoumaru as the men walked out of the room.

"Hn. Sleep well Rin." He replied to the young girl who's hand-in-hand with her adoptive mother. His eyes climbed to Kurenai's beautiful face and was fascinated at seeing her blushed cheeks. He realized that Rin addressing him as papa has an effect on Kurenai and it seems to be an effect that's favorable to him and it gave him an idea.

Sesshoumaru looked straight into her luscious red orbs, not bothering to mask how much he admires them as much as the woman who owns them, "Goodnight, Kurenai."

Her reaction was instant, she blushed deeper and surprise welled in her eyes but was able to regain her composure and bowed slightly. "Have a good night as well, Sesshoumaru."

The daiyoukai found Kurenai's changing expressions amusing and his chest swelled with satisfaction as he turned to follow the others back to their room with the image of the blushing Kurenai engraved in his mind until he fell asleep.


	32. Gemini

**A/N: Songs referred to: 1** **st** **\- That's What You Get by Paramore / 2** **nd** **\- Shounen by Nana Mizuki**

 **CSBC – Clinton Street Baking Company, a popular breakfast spot in NY that I'd love to visit someday.**

 ***Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoy the story! I'd appreciate your feedback.**

* * *

 **THIRTY TWO**

"What in God's name is this?!" Inuyasha stared slack-jawed at the sea of people screaming and flailing their hands in the air.

"I guess Kurenai's popularity back home makes sense." Miroku said as they watched the crowd go crazy over the siblings on stage listening to a guy talking with headphones and a piece of paper in hand.

Sango glared at the monk's statement, "It's not the same thing."

Ren and Kurenai turned to their direction and the two beamed upon seeing them and happily waved. They have the best seats in the house with a clear view of the stage behind the railing, under a tent with the crew.

"The crowd is going wild for multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning band Gemini!" one of the female hosts energetically began and the crowd exploded into chants of 'Gemini!' that almost blew their heads off.

"Let's say hi to Ren and Kurenai who are about to rock us out into the weekend." the other female host added, "Good morning you two!"

"Good Morning!" The siblings smiled at the hosts before waving out to their fans. It's beyond them how these two and the crowd can be so lively in this chilly, early morning. The sun has barely risen when they sleepily drove here and they arrived to a long line of fans eager to get in the venue.

The hosts looked down at Kurenai's injured foot, "I can't help but notice that you'll be performing with a brace on your foot Kurenai. Are you alright?"

The siblings explained to them how microphones and speakers work but the firsthand experience of how loud and clear they can hear them speak from a distance is astonishing.

"I'm fine. Thankfully, it's just a minor sprain but I will ask everyone to jump higher on my behalf!" she yelled out at the fans and they screamed in agreement.

"They're excited to have you here and surely they're excited for your tenth anniversary concert," said one of the hosts.

"We're excited too!" Ren agreed, "Are you gonna be there?!" he yelled unto the crowd and they went nuts with a resounding 'YEEEESSSS!' and 'Wooooo!'

The siblings grinned at the enthusiasm and Ren continued, "Yeah so, the concert is titled Rise, and will take place three weeks from now at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California and then three months after that, will be the National Stadium in Japan."

"You guys have a really strong connection to your Japanese roots to choose Japan as the only international venue."

"Yes. Our parents balanced the presence of both our American and Japanese heritage when they raised us." Kurenai stated.

"We wanted to add more dates and venues but at the moment, it's quite difficult." Ren added, "But we're glad that we can reach our fans in the Far East with the Japan concert."

"I bet your fans can't wait just like they can't wait to see you perform now." The host looked at the camera, "So without further ado, let's give it up for GEMINI!"

Applause roared as the siblings walked to their positions on stage.

Kurenai looked every bit a rockstar in an oversized, olive military jacket with the right side pushed off her shoulder showing her wolf printed black tee underneath, paired with black ripped jeans and burgundy flat boots on her left foot and her walker boot on the right.

Women swooned over Ren with his sunset colored electric guitar strapped across his body. He's wearing a black, acid wash jean jacket with rolled up sleeves over a white shirt printed with a black and white photo, paired with black ripped jeans and black sneakers.

The drumsticks ticked to three and in time with the first hammer on the drums, Kurenai kicked her injured foot in the air and the band burst into a loud, turbulent music that she and the fans began actively banging their heads to.

When Kurenai hopped on one of the steel platforms on stage and thrust her custom black chrome finish mic towards the audience, those from the Feudal era felt their hairs stand on end as the crowd sang while she brandished her hands guiding them through the song. It nailed home the sheer height of their friends' popularity.

The performance felt as if they're watching the sea amidst a storm. The music, a roaring thunderstorm with rhythmic torrential rain, the rocking heads like cresting waves entranced to follow Kurenai's powerful voice to shore. It's both chaotic and captivating and it drew emotions they've never felt from performances at the Feudal era.

Sesshoumaru never knew what goose bumps are… until now. He can feel the thrill of watching Kurenai's performance trying to burst out of his body through these tiny bumps on his skin.

Aside from her phenomenal singing, she's oozing passion and confidence as she fluttered around on stage. She has impeccable command of the performance that she's able to draw the audience's energy; making them loudly sing along and jump in time with her fist pumping in the air. She led the show to electrifying heights and the daiyoukai can feel it surge up and down his body.

Kurenai loves performing. She loves the energy, seeing the fans have fun, and sharing the moment with her brother and their band members, but a different kind of happiness filled her as she sang and danced her way to her friends' direction and saw the awe and excitement in their eyes. Her cheeks hurt from the huge smile she had seeing Shippo and Rin cheering and jumping up and down to the performance.

Ren joined Kurenai in singing and dancing for their friends for a few seconds then the siblings exchanged big smiles before turning back to the crowd.

The next song began with a tamed tune from the keyboard, bass guitar and drums that steadily escalated, hitting its peak when Kurenai and Ren joined with their guitars followed by Kurenai singing… in Japanese, to the surprise of their friends from the Feudal era.

Hearing their non-Japanese crowd cheer and sing along to the song shocked them even more. This is when they realized how loved the siblings' band really is and how the passion they pour into their music transcended language barriers.

Another hair-raising moment happened when as the chorus approached, Kurenai nodded at the audience,

"Sing it!" she shouted, and sing it they did. The siblings are visibly overjoyed as they watched the crowd fervently sing in Japanese, their mother's native language, a language they may not use often but is engraved in their souls.

The song eventually ended and the siblings performed two more English songs after. The energy never went down, the crowd never stopped singing or more accurately, shouting and jumping along to the songs.

Kurenai was a ball of energy hopping around and dancing through her injured foot while maintaining her phenomenal singing voice which they imagine is hard to do when moving around as much as she did. They can only imagine Kurenai performing when she's not injured.

Ren is no different from his sister, it's amazing to watch him jog and jump and dance and throw his head all over the stage with a guitar weighing on his shoulder the entire time. It didn't seem to affect him at all, he looked like he's having a great time during the whole performance.

* * *

"Mama!" Kurenai got tackled by Shippo and Rin as they walked towards them after thanking the hosts and crew of the show and saying their goodbyes.

The red-eyed giggled amidst the hugs, "Did you guys enjoy the show?" the question is not just meant for the kids.

"Yes mama!" the children yelped and looked up at her with sparkling eyes, "You were so soooo amazing!" Rin gushed and tightened her arms around Kurenai's waist.

"Thank you sweetheart." Kurenai returned the hug with her one arm around the little girl's shoulder.

Shippo turned to Ren while still latched on his mother, "You were super cool up there uncle!"

The olive-eyed ruffled the kitsune's hair, "Thanks buddy! We're glad you enjoyed it."

"You guys were just fantastic up there! It's no wonder you're very popular and have so many passionate fans!" Miroku praised.

"The loud and wild music was surprising but incredible! I still have goose bumps!" Sango rubbed her hand up her arm.

Kurenai smiled, "Thanks you guys. It was extra fun because you were there." Her eyes instinctively fell on the dog demon brothers, searching their faces for how they felt about their performance.

It surprised her when Inuyasha looked straight into her eyes with golden orbs brimming with pride, "You were amazing wench." A blush settled on his cheeks before looking down and Kurenai felt a little emotional at Inuyasha's straightforward compliment that wasn't coated in gruff words that she had to decipher.

"Thank you Inuyasha, it means so much coming from you," she said and the hanyou's blush went a deeper shade.

And then, they received praise from an unexpected source, "Both of you gave a brilliant performance and your voice Kurenai was extraordinary," the daiyoukai said and both siblings swelled with pride. For THE Lord Sesshoumaru to give them such a high praise is such an honor.

"Thank you Sesshoumaru," the siblings smiled at the daiyoukai.

"Well, let's celebrate your first Gemini show with a huge breakfast!" Ren turned to their band members chatting next to another van, "Guys! Let's grab breakfast at CSBC!"

"Yes!" Kurenai cheered, "Rin, Shippo! They have the best pancakes in New York! You're gonna love it!" she pulled both kids to the van, excited for the feast they're about to have.


	33. Snapshots

**A/N: A little gift for all of you guys' support! Another chapter right behind chap 32! I enjoyed writing this and the next few chapters and I hope you do as well. Of course, constructive criticisms are always welcome! xo**

 **THIRTY THREE**

The sun is steadily crawling down from its highest point in the sky and both Ren and Kurenai said a silent prayer of thanks that the breeze blowing through New York is still pretty chilly or they would've melted all over the white vintage car they're on under the direct glare of the sun in the middle of a cobblestone street.

"Look at me both of you, tilt your head down a bit Kurenai. Yes. Gorgeous." the photographer crouching in front of them instructed, followed by multiple shutter sounds after they did as they're told.

The first shoot's concept is high-end fashion street photography with the Brooklyn Bridge as the backdrop.

Ren leaned on the rear door of the car looking dapper in a midnight blue cashmere overcoat over a buttoned brown cashmere blazer over a white t-shirt, gray cropped pants, and a pair of black velvet loafers.

Kurenai is wearing a mid-thigh length deep teal belted trench coat with gold buttons and wide collar and lapels, a pair of frayed black jean shorts barely visible from her sitting position on the roof of the car, and a pair of black suede stiletto ankle boots with three-inch heels that Sango helped her put on after she's positioned atop the car because stilettos, cobblestone streets and bad ankles don't mix.

Her friends' jaws drop when she first emerged from the trailer looking absolutely stunning. The color of the coat, her loosely curled, tousled hair and her smoldering black and brown eye makeup intensified her crimson eyes.

A certain daiyoukai has a problem with how incredibly ravishing the miko looks because all Sesshoumaru could think about as she threw her mesmerizing gaze at the camera is ripping those luxurious clothes off of her, wrapping her creamy legs around his waist, her feet in those sexy shoes across his back, and making her scream his name over and over in ecstasy.

Sesshoumaru discreetly shifted and groaned when he felt his erection straining in his pants and tried to shift his attention elsewhere to calm himself which came in a form of a panicked yelp from what the siblings called the Creative Director of the shoot.

"Oh, Oh, Oh!" he sprung from his director's chair to steady the screen where he's viewing the photos from after Shippo knocked it over while having a little too much fun with Rin.

"Whoa! Shippo!"

"Oh gosh! Kids!" Ren and Kurenai almost had a heart attack, "I'm so sorry Owen! Ren, help me down." her brother carefully hoisted her off the car and assisted her towards the kids.

Sure that the screen's steady, Owen sat back, "It's fine Kurenai, there's no damage." He smiled casually but the mist of sweat on his forehead confirmed how much of a close call it was.

"I'm really sorry about this." She squeezed his shoulder before looking down at the children, "Kids, we said you can enjoy the shoot but be careful not to get in the way of people's work." She gently chided.

"We're sorry mama, uncle Ren…" the kids mumbled with their heads down.

Kurenai patted their heads, "Alright, as long as you're sorry and don't do it again okay? And apologize to Mr. Owen."

"We're sorry Mr. Owen."

"It's okay, but can you stay on the side for now?" Owen asked of them and the kids nodded.

"Keh! What's the big deal? Standing around, people yelling instructions, and a guy hovering around you clicking a button, that's work?" Ah, Inuyasha and his big mouth.

"INUYASHA!" Kurenai roared, startling everyone who already had their attention on them since Inuyasha made his remark. The miko took a deep breath and looked at the crew apologetically, "I apologize for my behavior and his disrespectful remark, my friend is new to all of this and has no idea so please forgive him. Let's carry on with the shoot." She walked over to the hanyou,

"Don't impulsively give comments on things you have absolutely no idea about. You don't understand the immense work that goes into succeeding in this industry. If you think we just stand around and get paid for it, try doing what we do for a week and tell me if it's so easy!" her voice a controlled hiss, yet she sounded angrier than they've ever heard her.

"Don't get so heated sis, you don't want your makeup to melt. Can you help her back to the car Sango?" As the two women walked back to the car, Ren looked at the rattled hanyou with eyes brimming with disappointment, "Inuyasha, you crossed a very serious line. You don't know how much every one of us here dedicate ourselves to achieving success. So please, be mindful of what you say and where you say it," He calmly said before walking back to the car, leaving a petrified Inuyasha to regret his stupid actions.

"That's what you get for not bothering to think before opening your mouth." Sesshoumaru also served his brother a scolding.

"I don't need to hear it from a cold-hearted, arrogant bastard!" Inuyasha growled.

"If this Sesshoumaru recalls correctly, you're the bastard." The daiyoukai coldly retorted.

"Okay, that's a good stopping point. Calm down you two, you don't want to piss Kurenai off even more." Miroku stepped in before the brothers get into a full-blown fight and it was interesting to see _both_ dog demons flinch at the idea of an angry Kurenai, especially Sesshoumaru. It's odd, but interesting.

* * *

The gang later found themselves in an underground nightclub peppered with neon signs—its main feature that made the creative team go for this location in the first place.

"Mama look! Shippo's glowing in pink and blue!" Rin pointed at Shippo who's standing between blue and pink neon signs.

Kurenai smiled and pointed her phone at the grinning kitsune for a photo, "Yeah, that's so cool! Try it Rin!" the doting adoptive mother giggled.

"Hey sis! Send me those pics yeah? Send them to dad too, he'll be happy to see the kids enjoying the trip." Ren called out while the hair and makeup team are busy bouncing a sponge on his face and finger combing his waxed hair.

"Of course! I'll send it to our group chat, I'm sure V would love to see these as well."

"We're ready you two," the Creative Director said, standing by a brown leather couch with a blue neon sign above it that read 'Everybody wants a thrill' in curved writing.

Kurenai's blue round mirror glasses reflected the neon sign as she lay across the couch in a white printed shirt tucked under a pair of black leather pants. She rested her head that has a black fedora sitting on top of it on one couch arm and crossed her black leather knee-high boot clad legs over the other.

Ren sat next to his sister's feet on the arm of the couch. Channeling his inner James Dean, the older Moretti's styled with a white shirt under a black Bomber jacket paired with faded blue jeans and white sneakers.

As the photographer smoothed Kurenai's hair out, he said, "One shoot, please?"

The siblings chuckled, "You're still on about this Chad?" Kurenai asked, the photographer's still adamant on Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru doing a modelling gig for him.

Like the siblings expected, the pair of dog demons got the beauty obsessed crew clamoring over them when they arrived on set. Both Chad and Owen began pressing the siblings to include them in the shoot or have them walk on a show which of course they respectfully declined before the inuyoukai brothers blow their lid from all the commotion over them.

"Of course! Their beauty is out of this world! It'll be a waste to hide it." Chad argued and the siblings exchanged a knowing look, _They're out of this world alright_.

"Hauling them with us everywhere isn't exactly hiding them," Ren pointed.

"Precisely!" Owen finally joined in, "So why not give them a better showcase?"

"That's not what they want, we're bringing them everywhere because we have to. But they're not the type of people who aspire to be in the spotlight." Thankfully, they understood the sentiment in Kurenai's remark and decided to drop the subject.

The shoot resumed and the concept produced some cool results as it played on the glow that the neon lights casted on the siblings' dark silhouettes.

* * *

"This is beautiful!" the photographer gushed at the image in his viewfinder; Kurenai, Ren and their extended family standing in front of a red brick wall and yes, Sesshoumaru agreed to join the family photo.

Still wearing the wardrobe from the neon lights shoot, the siblings both crouched in between the kids—Kurenai removed the sunglasses and wrapped her arms around Rin while Ren pulled Shippo to him by the shoulder—smiling from ear-to-ear while the rest of the gang awkwardly stood behind them.

"Just be natural guys," Kurenai advised, "This is a happy occasion, our first photo together. How does that make you feel? You can smile, or you can stay as you are, it's fine."

Sango and Miroku looked at each other, _Easy for you to say Kurenai, you're not the one sandwiched between a powerful inu daiyoukai and a sulking hanyou,_ they thought.

"Alright, 1… 2…" with no other choice, Sango and Miroku tried to follow their red-eyed friend's advice while the dog demons remained as their dog demon selves, "3!" the photographer took the photo and they were done.

"They look a bit uncomfortable, but it's a lovely photo." The photographer showed it to them and the siblings grinned.

Both Rin and Shippo smiled as wide as Ren and Kurenai did, Sango had a timid yet charming smile, Miroku smiled nervously while Sesshoumaru is as icy as ever and Inuyasha scowled. It's not what people usually consider to be a great photo but it's so them, and that's what made it special.

"I love it," Kurenai said and Ren agreed.

"Me too. Thank you for this," he said to the photographer.

"My pleasure, so off to the next location?"

"Of course," Kurenai felt something press against her waist and smiled when she found Rin leaning on her with her eyes closed, "Oh dear," her eyes darted towards Shippo and found the kit also nodding off while holding his uncle Ren's hand.

"I think you guys should head back first and get some rest. We still have a while before we wrap up." Ren said, though it's a shame since the next location of the shoot is on the Brooklyn Bridge itself.

"Ren's right." Kurenai gently picked Rin up and walked towards Sesshoumaru, "We still need Miguel and Sango with us, will you guys be fine on your own?" Out of the bunch, Kurenai noticed the daiyoukai curiously observing how they navigate through the hotel so she's somewhat confident she can count on him.

Sesshoumaru welled with pride to be entrusted with such a task, "Certainly." He gently pulled the sleeping Rin from Kurenai's arms, as he does this, their gaze locked with each other and it added weight to the intimacy of the familial moment they shared.

Rin stirred in Sesshoumaru's hold and her eyes fluttered open, "Papa? Mama?" the parental figures flinched and looked down at the young girl.

"Hey sweetie," Kurenai stroked Rin's hair, "You guys will be going back to the hotel so you can rest. Uncle Ren and I still need to work for a bit."

Rin groggily shook her head, "No mama, we still want to watch! We're not tired."

The adoptive mother smiled, "But you are sweetie. Look, Shippo's also knocked out." She nodded over at Shippo who's napping away at Miroku's shoulder but the pout didn't disappear from the young girl's face, "I'll tell you what, you go back to the hotel for a nap and we will visit my store after dinner. Didn't you want to see it?"

She originally planned the visit to _Orphic_ 's New York branch for tomorrow, but if she can convince the tired little ones to go for a nap, then tonight after dinner it is. It's better too since there won't be too many customers by then.

Rin contemplated the offer and reluctantly nodded, "Good girl." Kurenai lightly brushed Rin's cheek.

Sesshoumaru never thought that he'll ever find a scene endearing and yet here he is, filled with warmth and content that this moment belongs to him, excited at the possibility that many of his coming days could be filled with moments like this.

Kurenai looked up at him, "Call me if you need help with anything and you can also ask the hotel staff if you need assistance." They bought smartphones for the adults specifically for times like this when the siblings won't be able to hold their hand through the modern era.

"Understood, we'll manage so don't worry."

 _Huh?_ Kurenai watched openmouthed as Sesshoumaru carried Rin to the van, did she just imagine it? Or did Sesshoumaru just genuinely made an effort to put her at ease?

"Kurenai?"Miroku's voice got her to blink her confusion away.

"Yeah?"

"We'll be off then. See you later."

She smiled at him and gently stroke the hair of the kitsune in his arms, "Yes, we'll see you at dinner." Her eyes found the somber amber eyes of her bestfriend and while she hated seeing him like that, Inuyasha needs to reflect on his actions.


	34. Hope You're Listening

**THIRTY FOUR**

"Haa…" Kurenai sighed when the name that popped up on her phone was not who she's expecting. Sesshoumaru hasn't called or texted her to let her know that they made it to the hotel room which should have been by the time they finished wardrobe change and makeup retouches but they're already walking the Brooklyn Bridge and still no word from the daiyoukai.

She tapped on the _Can't talk. Will call you later._ response on the screen, adding it to the list of people she needs to get back to today.

"Still no news from the gang?" Ren huddled into his jacket as the cool Brooklyn Bridge winds whipped against them.

She mirrored her brother, tightening her jacket with one hand while the other kept its grip on her dress's skirt, pulling it up so she can walk, "No, not yet." She turned to her side, "Are you alright Sango? Sorry you didn't get to get some rest like the guys and here you are hauling this dress's massive skirt."

Sango shook her head, "Oh I'm fine, don't worry. Besides, I got to see this magnificent view." The demon slayer looked ahead at the majestic tower with cables enchantingly fanning out from it and right behind is the intricate Manhattan skyline,

"I just hope the others were able to see it. The man-made landscape of your era is extraordinary."

Kurenai nodded, "Yeah me too." Her phone vibrated in her hand and was relieved to finally see Sesshoumaru's name on the screen, "Yes Sesshoumaru?" she answered.

"We arrived in our chambers without incident Kurenai, the journey back to the hotel just took a while," said the daiyoukai's deep voice right on her ear and Kurenai felt goose bumps bloom on her skin, she's pretty sure the brisk winds have nothing to do with it.

"I see, sorry to hear about the traffic but it's good that you made it back just fine. Thanks, Sesshoumaru."

"Hn." there was a short moment of silence before Rin's voice came in the background.

"Papa! Is that mama? Can I talk to her please?" The request setoff butterflies in her stomach as it made their parental roles feel very realistic.

"Hi mama! How are you?" the young girl greeted.

"I'm fine sweetheart. You're sounding very energetic, aren't you supposed to be taking a nap?" Kurenai heard her voice echo on the other line; Sesshoumaru put her on speaker, trust the daiyoukai to learn these things quicker than the next person.

"Shippo and I woke up in the elevator and then he gave me a tour of their room."

"Oh okay, we haven't started with the final shoot so you can nap some more." Kurenai heard bickering in the background, she's pretty sure it's Inuyasha and Shippo, "Rin, are Inuyasha and Shippo fighting?" Both Sango and Ren chuckled.

"...Yes mama." Rin reluctantly replied.

"Can you please tell them sweetheart that if they don't stop they already know what's gonna happen?" she hid her irritation through a sweet voice.

"You'll sit Inuyasha right mama?" the young girl guessed.

"I'll scold Shippo too depending on the situation so they should behave immediately and please tell Shippo to nap some more too."

"Okay."

"Thank you sweetheart. I'll see you later."

"See you mama." the child bid and she heard running footsteps then Rin's voice relaying her message then the background went silent.

"This Sesshoumaru will see you later then. Be careful on your way back." Kurenai didn't want to assume anything but there's a tenderness in the daiyoukai's voice that made her nervous, if it's a good or a bad thing, she has no idea.

"Ah, y-yes, thank you. See you at dinner." she stuttered and hung up. She's so unnerved by his last sentence that Kurenai didn't notice she stopped walking and is staring on her phone until Sango tugged on her dress because she kept walking and didn't realize Kurenai stopped.

"Something wrong sis?" her brother asked.

"Nothing, I just read a message that popped up," she responded and resumed walking. _What the hell am I getting all flustered for? This is THE Sesshoumaru, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it,_ she convinced herself even as sound of the daiyoukai's voice lingered hotly in her ears the entire shoot.

* * *

Sesshoumaru's phone conversation POV:

Sesshoumaru gave his stiff neck a good crack right as they stepped into their hotel room. Despite the fast paced culture of this era, transportation can take forever and it took all of his patience not to punch his way out of the car and just fly back to the hotel.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped on Kurenai's number. After a few rings, the miko's clear and gentle voice that never fails to bring warmth to his otherwise cold being, greeted him.

"Yes Sesshoumaru?" he detected relief and anxiety in her voice.

"We arrived in our chambers without incident Kurenai, the journey back to the hotel just took a while."

"I see, sorry to hear about the traffic but it's good that you made it back just fine. Thanks, Sesshoumaru."

"Hn." His brief reply betrayed the fact that his brain is running a mile a minute thinking of how to keep the conversation going because he wants to listen to her voice longer. His beast watched amused from the sidelines because when did THE Lord Sesshoumaru ever get conscious about his taciturnity?

The connecting door flew open and Rin stepped in from the other room where he can hear Inuyasha and Shippo antagonizing each other like always. The young girl's eyes sparkled at seeing her father figure talking on the phone because she has a good idea of who it is.

"Papa! Is that mama?! Can I talk to her please?" the daiyoukai is thankful that Rin inadvertently helped him out of his dilemma. He lowered the phone towards her and turned the speaker on so he can hear Kurenai's voice too.

"Hi mama! How are you?" asked a chipper Rin as if she wasn't just with her an hour ago.

"I'm fine sweetheart. You're sounding very energetic, aren't you supposed to be taking a nap?"

"Shippo and I woke up in the elevator then he gave me a tour of their room."

"Oh okay, we haven't started with the final shoot so you can nap some more." There was a brief pause, "Rin, are Inuyasha and Shippo fighting?" the daiyoukai smirked at the trace of irritation in her voice.

Rin looked up at him unsure and he nodded, "...Yes mama."

"Can you please tell them sweetheart that if they don't stop they already know what's gonna happen?"

"You'll sit Inuyasha right mama?"

"I'll scold Shippo too depending on the situation so they should behave immediately and please tell Shippo to nap some more too."

"Okay."

"Thank you sweetheart. I'll see you later."

"See you mama."

As Rin ran off to the next room to deliver Kurenai's warning to Inuyasha and Shippo, Sesshoumaru eyed the device in his hand where Kurenai is still on the other line. He realized that there's no reason to be scuffling for the right words to say, he should just tell her how he really feels.

"This Sesshoumaru will see you later then. Be careful on your way back."

He was met with a short moment of silence which is to be expected when the ruthless Lord of the Western Lands suddenly wishes someone come back safely.

"Ah, y-yes, thank you. See you at dinner," she said before hanging up, Sesshoumaru could only hope that amidst the confusion his uncharacteristic words are causing her, it's also communicating how precious her existence has become to him.


	35. Has Hell Frozen Over?

**THIRTY FIVE**

Rin and Shippo slipped under Ren's arms as he held the glass door to Kurenai's boutique, _Orphic_ along Lexington Avenue. The dark, luscious burgundy walls are offsetted by white ceiling and marble floors showered by plenty of light to showcase the clothing and accessories displayed in golden racks and glass cases. A prominent feature of the store's design is the white marble wall behind the counter with the name of the store in backlit silver chrome paneled by thin strips of mirrors arranged into a chevron pattern.

The staff and the few customers still in the store openly stared at them.

"Oh hey you two!" greeted the gorgeous woman with brown wavy hair and golden highlights behind the counter.

"Hi Sof." "Hey." Kurenai and Ren replied as the woman walked up to them, wearing a fitted grey turtleneck dress under a black cardigan and a pair of black ankle boots.

"My, my, so they're the talk of the town." Her eyes flared at the sight of the devastatingly handsome Sesshoumaru.

"They wanted to see the store so I brought them here," Kurenai said. "Guys, this is Sofia, the store's manager. Sofia, these are our friends, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Sesshoumaru…" she pulled the kids gently towards her, "and my unofficial adopted kids, Rin and Shippo."

"Pleasure to meet you." Sofia snapped out of her hypnotized state and smiled, her dark brown eyes that looked at Sesshoumaru bore desire which didn't go unnoticed by the daiyoukai…nor the very observant Ren.

"Oh Sango, feel free to look around and get anything you want." Kurenai told her friend, completely unaware of the heated gaze her store manager is throwing the daiyoukai.

Sango shook her head frantically, "Oh, Kurenai I can't possibly…"

"Don't sweat it. Just take what you like okay?" she insisted, "If I have something here for the guys and the kids, I would've told them the same but we only have women's clothing and accessories here."

"It will make peaches very happy if you wear stuff from her store." Ren added and the demon slayer just can't say no, she began gingerly scanning through the racks of clothes with the kids trailing curiously behind her.

The men also dispersed throughout the room, inspecting the products of Kurenai's passion and creativity.

The clothes reflect the miko's personality; strong, edgy and enigmatic laced with femininity and are made with the finest materials. She incorporated her Japanese heritage in many of the pieces; some of the black leather jackets are embroidered with a golden dragon or a tiger in Japanese style art, and shirts painted with abstract geisha or kabuki warrior art. There's even a mannequin at the huge window display dressed in a lightweight black kimono robe with a _Torii_ gate art.

Sesshoumaru gravitated the most to a midnight blue silk haori on one of the mannequins inside the store that's printed with a light gray crescent moon hovering over delicate wisps of clouds.

"Oh, that's a bestseller and one of sis's favorite pieces." The daiyoukai's head turned to face Ren who sat on the round gray velvet ottoman in the middle of the store, "The women in our mother's side of the family had an affinity for the crescent moon and each of them owned a cherished jewelry in that shape."

Sesshoumaru's elegant fingers traced the silken image of his insignia, "Does your sister have one?"

Ren had to hold back a grin at Sesshoumaru's display of interest towards his sister, "She doesn't have her own jewelry, but she inherited our great grandmother's sapphire and diamond crescent moon hairpin."

The daiyoukai felt a pinch of disappointment that Kurenai didn't feel the need to possess her very own crescent moon jewelry.

 _{That's a shallow way of confirming whether she's meant for us.}_ His beast crept into his annoyingly irrational thoughts.

/ _This Sesshoumaru is aware, but the crescent moon is such a revered symbol to us, you can't blame me for wanting her to feel some appreciation for it./_

"But…" Ren added, "She does have a crescent moon tattoo between her left collarbone and shoulder. The very first tattoo she got when she turned nineteen."

The daiyoukai's eyes flared visibly and his eyes darted to Kurenai's clothed shoulder. His disappointment replaced by his heart pounding in his chest, knowing that Kurenai has such a cherished connection to a symbol that is synonymous to his noble lineage, his identity, that she chose to be marked with it permanently.

 _{How's THAT for appreciation?}_ The beast chuckled before retreating back to the recesses of the daiyoukai's mind.

Ren dipped his head towards his phone to hide his grin at the shift in the notoriously cold Sesshoumaru's behavior. He's keen to see how the interesting dynamic brewing between the daiyoukai and his sister develops.

* * *

Oblivious to Sesshoumaru experiencing an emotional tidal wave towards her, Kurenai walked with Sofia to one of the racks after checking the sales reports.

"The sales are beginning to pick up for summer items, especially the kimonos." Sofia pulled an oversized black cotton denim button-down off the rack.

Kurenai rubbed the denim fabric between her fingers, "Well it's almost that time of the year and the kimonos are a year-round hit, but even more so during summer." She looked down at the vibrating phone that should be in her assistant's hand and it greeted her with four emails on top of the over thirty that remained unread after she squeezed going through the inbox during car rides and hair and makeup.

Sofia's eyes caught the drop-dead gorgeous silver-haired guest taking a seat beside Ren and she leaned over to her boss and whispered, "Hey boss."

"Hmm." Kurenai hummed distractedly, her focus on having a clean inbox before leaving the store.

"The silver-haired hottie with you, is he taken?"

Her thumbs froze over the screen, "Which silver-haired hottie?" Kurenai's eyes searched for the guys and found all of them now sitting on the ottoman.

"The taller one." Sofia grinned not knowing that her boss felt a twinge of disappointment realizing that her store manager's got the hots for the elegant daiyoukai.

"Well..." she started hesitantly, "I don't think Sesshoumaru has anybody at the moment but I should warn you, he's a bit intense."

"Intense can be a good thing my dear." Sofia winked at her.

Kurenai smiled and shook her head at the suggestive comment, "I didn't mean THAT. He's a little unsociable that's all."

"I always love a challenge." Sofia insisted.

Before Kurenai can think up a response, her personal phone rang and it's a call she can't ignore so she gave Sofia what she thought was the right response,

"Go ahead, but don't say I didn't warn you," regret washed over her the moment she said it but Kurenai chose to ignore it and answered the phone.

Sofia glanced at her form in the mirror and gave her hair a quick comb and smoothed down her dress, making sure she looks her best in front of the exotic hottie before approaching the men in cat-like strides.

Ren, Miroku and Inuyasha had a little conversation going before Sofia approached them.

"It's a little unsettling when you're this quiet my friend." Miroku nudged at Inuyasha's shoulder, "It was hard to sit next to you during dinner."

"Just leave peaches to cool off a bit, Inuyasha. She will never stay mad at you but you really hit a nerve," Ren tried to comfort the disgruntled hanyou, "We had people accuse us of being handed our success because THE Ethan Walry adopted us and hearing something similar coming from you hurt more than others."

"Nngh." Inuyasha's heart dropped to his stomach.

"Oh hi Sof," Ren said as she stood in front of them.

"Hey, I just want to know our guests a little better." She charmingly began, "What do you guys think of the store?" the question was phrased for a group but her eyes were transfixed to only one daiyoukai.

Miroku replied to her inquiry, "It's very elegant and it's remarkable to think that Kurenai is behind all this."

"Yeah, the boss puts a lot of work on this project and is very hands-on," she smiled despite the disappointment that Sesshoumaru didn't engage in the conversation.

Sesshoumaru didn't pay attention to the woman in front of them because his golden eyes are focused on a different woman, THE woman who is busy pacing around the store with a thoughtful look on her face while talking on the phone.

Sofia did not give up, "It's your first time in New York right? How do you find it?"

"It's quite a contrast from LA, very industrialized and crowded, but it's so lively and dynamic." It's still Miroku who's interested to respond, even Inuyasha gave no response, too distraught with his current standing with Kurenai.

"Yeah, it does feel a bit crowded but it's also a place where a lot of high ambitions are achieved," Sofia replied and decided to pull the daiyoukai into the conversation herself. BIG MISTAKE. "How about you sir? What do you think of New York?"

Sesshoumaru finally acknowledged Sofia but not in the way she wanted, "This Sesshoumaru does not see the relevance in giving you an opinion since someone has already provided their insight." he replied coldly.

Sofia blushed at the blatant refusal, Kurenai wasn't kidding! The man is intense as he is handsome. He doesn't hesitate to show his displeasure towards someone, even a woman and she has a feeling that she shouldn't mess with him.

"O-oh... You're right." Sofia's eyes shifted nervously, "Please excuse me, that customer needs my assistance."

Ren and Miroku winced as they watched Sofia shuffle towards a customer that doesn't seem to need help.

 _Sorry Sof, you're stunning and have a great personality but this guy's got it bad for my sis._ Ren silently apologized on behalf of the daiyoukai.

Kurenai wandered over, still on the phone and unaware of what just happened, "Let me send you one of my contacts in Italy. She's worked with some of my clients and they're very happy with the pieces she curated for them." The other phone beeped in her hand and she skimmed through the message.

"Mm-hmm… Sorry what?" she leaned into the phone in her ear, "Yeah, I'll include her website and Instagram account so you can assess her portfolio before—" Kurenai jumped when a hand eclipsed the phone she's staring at. Looking up, her heart drummed at finding Sesshoumaru's face inches away from hers.

She sucked in a breath under his molten gaze and the sensation of his fingers trailing over her skin. His hand felt surprisingly warm as it coiled around her wrist in a firm yet gentle hold that sent sparks through her body.

' _Kurenai? Are you still there? Hello?"_ the person on the other line echoed.

She blinked out of his spell, "I'm here, sorry. Where were we?" she said and watched bewildered as Sesshoumaru carefully pulled the other phone away, _'What are you doing?'_ she mouthed, not understanding what's going on but the daiyoukai just nodded at the phone in her ear, telling her to finish the phone call, which she did despite her head being in shambles.

Sango froze and blushed upon stumbling on the scenario when she peeked out the fitting room curtain while Ren and Miroku had to hold a furious Inuyasha down despite being stunned themselves.

"Inuyasha, calm down. He's just helping her focus on the phone call." Ren whispered at the trembling hanyou.

That's not what it looks like to Inuyasha, his half-brother's too close to Kurenai and the intimate way he's touching her… how she responded to him… "Bastard… Helping my ass." he grunted.

Kurenai glared at Sesshoumaru after hanging up the phone, "What's that all about?" the daiyoukai's been out of character recently and it's throwing her off balance and she doesn't like it.

"You can't carry on doing multiple things at once all by yourself," the daiyoukai said. He can't bear watching her juggle ten things at a time on top of taking care of all of them. She does an exceptional job but amidst the big, sweet smiles, he'd sometimes catch her with a cornered look on her face.

Kurenai huffed and ran her fingers through her hair, "Well, that's how we strive in this era and right now, I'm my own assistant."

"And I'm telling you that _I_ will be your assistant." The declaration made their jaws drop and their eyes almost popping out of its sockets.

"No. No way. You? Work for me? No. Not gonna happen." Kurenai shook her head and grabbed the phone off his hand.

"Peaches, come here for a second." Ren walked a few steps away and his sister followed, standing unnerved in front of him.

"Ren…"

"Peaches, with our situation right now, his proposal might be our best bet," he murmured and she desperately shook her head. Ren smiled, for the first time in their lives, Kurenai actually looked like the little sister and he, the mature older brother.

"People serve Sesshoumaru, Ren. Not the other way around. Can you even imagine him taking care of my social media activities?" Kurenai hissed, "And speaking of social, he's not exactly fond of people, I can't have him scaring everyone away."

Ren flinched inwardly at the memory of Sesshoumaru's harsh rejection of Sofia, but he has a feeling that if it's for his sister, the daiyoukai will work on that brutally sharp tongue of his.

"Well none of us dreamed of seeing him fold his clothes and yet you convinced him to." He pointed, " _He_ offered to work for you, I'm sure he knows what he's getting into. He's a fast learner and we won't have to worry about one more stranger learning our situation."

Kurenai glanced at the daiyoukai while weighing her brother's words and after a few moments, she closed her eyes and sighed before reluctantly approaching Sesshoumaru.

She handed the assistant phone to him, "Miguel and I will start teaching you once we get back to the hotel." She saw a triumphant glint in Sesshoumaru's eyes as he reached for the phone but she snatched it away, the daiyoukai looking up confused,

"Being my assistant means you'll help build and maintain my business and personal relationships. You'll be interacting with people, some of them may annoy you but you can't snap at them like you usually do," she warned, "Only take this phone if you're certain you can carry out this task on top of many other things." She lowered the phone within his reach.

The daiyoukai nodded and resolutely took the phone, surprising everyone for his willingness to work for somebody, especially in a job that requires patience towards humans.

"Kurenai, you can't be serious." Inuyasha objected.

The red eyes that looked at him were impassive, "With the current situation, I have to take all the help I can get Inuyasha."

The hanyou clenched his jaw because he can't argue with that. He also doesn't want Kurenai to struggle with her workload and personal issues. It just frustrates him that HE can't be more of a help to her.

Kurenai looked up at Sesshoumaru, "Thank you for offering your help, really." her red eyes welled with gratitude and relief and it made the daiyoukai all the more glad that he did what his gut told him to do because she actually needed him. Well maybe not him specifically, but he'll gladly be the hand that reaches out to her.

"Oh Sango, I love this on you!" Kurenai went to get a closer look at Sango in an off-white sundress with bare shoulders, printed with dark red chrysanthemums and compliments from Ren, Miroku and the kids rained on the demon slayer.

Sango's fashion show continued with two more outfits Kurenai chose for her before they finally headed back to the hotel and Sesshoumaru began his lesson on being Kurenai's assistant.


	36. Confrontation

**THIRTY SIX**

He pulled his face away from hers, breaking the fiery kiss they shared and stared into those tantalizing red eyes. The same red eyes that never failed to fascinate him both for the emotions they fearlessly reveal and those hidden underneath, now they're darkened with undeniable desire that set his body on fire.

"Sesshoumaru…" she husked, her voice strained with need. A desire only for him that shot straight through his groin and he clenched his jaw in efforts not to be rough but his precious goddess isn't making it easy for him as her hands snaked on the back of his neck while her smooth legs wrapped around his hips, pulling him flush against her.

The delicious heat coming from her soft, naked body made him dizzy with need. He can feel every shred of his control crumbling and what she did next made it snap completely.

She leaned into his ear and her lips touched his sensitive skin making him quiver and she whispered, "Please, I need you," she pleaded desperately.

That was all it took. He let out a growl and crushed his lips onto hers in a hungry kiss while he shifted their bodies, aligning his painfully throbbing cock at her wet, fevered entrance.

"Kurenai…" he whispered against her lips and in one swift move, he sank into her to the hilt.

His mind and body was overcome with pleasure at the exquisite way she tightened around him and Kurenai's sweet moan of pleasure echoed in his ears and it was just too much…

* * *

The daiyoukai jolted awake covered in sweat and heaving. He's had his fair share of demonesses through the years but none of them affected him so much that they give him such dreams, not that he hated it, it was delightful but it made him feel like an inexperienced pup.

"Mind sharing what your dream was about that involved my sister?" Ren's voice came like a blast of cold water. It felt like he got caught doing something he's not supposed to especially when it's the brother of the woman he did such salacious acts with in his dream that found out.

Sesshoumaru's struggle to look at him had Ren amused and feel sorry for him, "Sorry, I shouldn't be prying on your dream of all things, a natural older brother response when a man is showing great interest towards his little sister."

Sesshoumaru kept silent and trained his eyes on the wall across his bed, suddenly finding the sunlight crawling over it interesting so Ren shifted from where he leaned on the headboard to sit on the side of the bed directly facing the powerful dog demon.

"So… What's the deal with this? Do you plan to get something out of this?" a question he's asked many men that showed interest in his sister.

The daiyoukai finally turned his head to face him, "Hn," he replied, looking directly into his eyes. "This Sesshoumaru desires to court your sister properly and form a lasting relationship with her as mates."

The resolve in Sesshoumaru's eyes and words assured Ren of his sincere intentions but he was hit with melancholy at the word ' _mates_ ' as it comes with the possibility that his beloved sister will be taken away to some place he can't reach. But if Sesshoumaru finally gets Kurenai to free herself of the burden she's been carrying since they became orphans and stop being guilty about finding and relishing her own happiness, he will not get in the way.

"Well, as you know, my sister's a little cynical about romance so it's not gonna be easy. This era, the industry that we work in, is littered with shallow, disingenuous relationships that crumble in the blink of an eye and it made her forge walls around her to protect herself from the pain it brings. But I have a feeling you can be her exception."

The daiyoukai found the quick acceptance surprising, "You're giving the demon that tried to kill your sister blessing to court her?"

Ren's stare pinned the daiyoukai, "Is there a fiber of your being that wants to hurt her?"

Sesshoumaru returned the stare just as intensely, "No, I want to encourage her to embrace the happiness she seem to be depriving her self."

Ren smirked, for Sesshoumaru to voice what he was thinking moments ago, strengthened his hunch that this man is special and not just because of his genetics.

"Then there's nothing to worry about and besides," he pulled a shirt over his bare torso, "I've been observing you AND her the past couple of days. I've never seen my sister have such cute expressions because of a man and that's saying something because our job is overflowing with gorgeous men. So far, from what I've seen especially last night, I know that I can entrust my sister to you.

"My advice, she's very independent because of everything she's been through. She's not used to being spoiled so keep it at a minimum and just be yourself. I can see that despite that indifferent exterior, you're capable of compassion and Kurenai accepts people even through their flaws because she knows she's not perfect either."

To have the approval of the person Kurenai values the most brought relief to the daiyoukai… for a second before Ren spoke again,

"I'm cutting you some slack because I've got a feeling you'll have your hands full once Inuyasha finds out about this." He chuckled at the scowl that painted the daiyoukai's face and checked his phone, "Speaking of which, peaches said in the group chat that she and Inuyasha went for a walk and they'll just join us downstairs for breakfast." The news added grim to Sesshoumaru face.

"You do know that if you want to be with peaches, you can't be jealous of your brother."

"This Sesshoumaru is aware, however—"

"It's hard for you to watch her be close to another man especially when you can't." Ren finished the sentence and the way Sesshoumaru's jaw clenched at the idea confirmed it.

"There's nothing we can do about it, they formed a strong bond over the past year. Though it's nothing more than that of brother and sister. But I suggest you get used to it fast because peaches actually has a lot of guy friends due to our profession." Golden eyes blinked at him, having difficulty processing the unpleasant information and Ren smirked, "You'll see soon enough."

Sesshoumaru groaned his displeasure as Ren made his way to the bathroom. He overcame one obstacle only to have more pop up in his way towards the woman he desires.

But he'll deal with it in time, what needs his focus today is helping Kurenai efficiently go about her day. Last night's lesson was a revelation: most of Kurenai's days are packed and he has a mountain of things to learn. Thankfully, it's similar to how he manages his lands back in the Feudal era—this era's more complicated of course—so he has a grasp of the fundamentals at least but he's thinking maybe he bit off more than he can chew with this 'assistant' thing.

He grabbed his 'work' phone and started his first day on the job.

* * *

Clear blue skies, cool winds filtered through lush trees, ducks leisurely cruising across the pond chattering amongst each other is what people would consider a perfect ambience for a jog, a picnic, reading a book, or in Kurenai's case, hashing out conflicts.

The serene setting is an antithesis to the smothering tension as Kurenai sipped on her hot latte while Inuyasha nervously rubbed his hands on the warm cup of mocha he's yet to take a sip from. Not a single word has been exchanged between them since she hauled him from his hotel room for a walk at Central Park.

Kurenai led him to an empty bench facing the pond and they sat in further silence.

"I walked twenty minutes to get that fantastic cup of coffee, don't waste it by letting it go cold." Kurenai's voice wasn't anywhere near scolding him but Inuyasha's so on edge, he whipped the drink to his mouth which is surprisingly still hot enough to burn his tongue.

"Argh!" he grunted and Kurenai jumped as he shoved the cup away, sloshing some of its contents out the lid.

"Geez, you." the miko dabbed a tissue on the hanyou's hand and he sought the wind's help to relieve his stinging tongue.

Inuyasha stopped his panting when he noticed the tremble of Kurenai's shoulders, her face turned away from him, "Are you laughing?" he asked, and she shook her head no, "You are!" he insisted and she finally released a barrage of chuckles.

"Seeing you pant like an actual dog is just too funny. Especially when you're not trying to be funny, it's your dog instinct."

The hanyou smiled as Kurenai slid her fingers under her eyes, wiping away her happy tears. But his smile didn't stay long, he knew he had some making up to do so he carefully held Kurenai's hand, and when she looked up at him, his eyes expressed what he's about to say, "I'm sorry."

Kurenai sighed, "Inuyasha, you insulted the work that we pour our hearts and souls and countless of sleepless nights into and you put Ren and me in a bad position with our peers." her grip on his hand tightened occasionally as she spoke and the hanyou kicked himself mentally—which he's been doing since yesterday—for hurting his bestfriend with his stupid actions.

"Those people weren't just standing around, playing with our hair, coloring our faces and barking orders, they worked hard, sacrificing sleep and being with their family to achieve success. Possessing a creative eye is just as important as work that requires heavy labor and is not to be slighted."

"I know you find it hard to voice nice things and mask it with tough words, but despite being used to that fact, there are things that are still painful to hear coming from you."

Inuyasha squeezed her hand, desperation in his eyes, "I'm really sorry Kurenai, I never meant to hurt you."

"I know, but this can't keep happening Inuyasha, careless words like that will also put our reputation in jeopardy."

"I can't completely promise that I won't do stupid things because that's how I am. Insensitive. Reckless." Kurenai thoughtfully raised her eyebrows at the befitting adjectives Inuyasha used, "But I will make a conscious effort to think before I speak and not be a headache."

Red eyes raked over the hanyou's face, he looked so depressed that she thought if he had his dog ears, they most definitely be drooping. She lightly tapped his cheek, "You better not be." She smirked and Inuyasha finally smiled, one not weighed down by guilt.

Their moods finally synched with their surroundings as they sat in comfortable silence drinking their coffee and admiring the scenery. Inuyasha's eyes roamed with wonder at the concrete buildings that seem to have sprouted from the trees but at the same time, the noisy, crowded city felt so far away and it soothed him. What's not soothing though, are the handful of stares that lingered on them—especially on his silver-haired self—as they walked past or sat a few feet away from them.

"So, do you like New York?" Kurenai asked, her eyes glued to the growing raft of ducks gliding through the water.

"Keh!"

She smiled, glad that he's back to his sassy ways, "I guess that's a no?"

"All these towering concrete knitted together, I feel confined even when we're outside."

"It can be suffocating sometimes, but I love the energy and the individuality here."

"The environment in LA suits you better wench. I don't think you have to move here." he said, referencing her dad Ethan's recommendation during their family dinner that a move to New York will be beneficial for the siblings' careers and it made Kurenai smile.

"I think so too," she agreed, "though I'd really prefer to live in a house by a lake, but keeping our roots near the city for now is convenient for business."

Inuyasha huffed, "Your business is crazy, wench." Aside from her fashion store and music career, they learned that Kurenai also has her hands on cafés and real estate keeping her life hectic, "I don't know how you keep up with it."

Kurenai chuckled, "Yeah, it does get overwhelming at times and that's what people like Sofia are there for, to make things easier for me."

"Then why do you need Sesshoumaru if you already have multiple people AND Sango helping you." Inuyasha aimed his scowl on his coffee cup and she smiled gently at his pouting.

"My managers are only responsible for their assigned store and Sango will take care of my personal needs. I need someone beside me all the time to do tasks that require using today's technology and Sesshoumaru, despite having absolutely no knowledge about it has picked up very quickly much to my surprise. There's nothing for you to worry about, shouldn't you be relieved that he's trying to reach out to us?"

The hanyou's jaw clenched, "Only to you, wench."

"Everybody starts somewhere. He started with Rin and now with me, even you Inuyasha. You may not notice but Sesshoumaru's behavior with you is that of an older brother." he rolled his eyes, "It's true, he scolds you when you do something idiotic and getting on your nerves is his hobby. That's how my brothers are with me—well mostly the latter, I do the scolding." The last word came as a giggle before giving Inuyasha's leg a comforting squeeze, "He deserves the benefit of the doubt just like everybody else especially when he's making the effort to change."

He knew she's right, she always is and if there's anybody who has no right to object to what she said, that's him because he himself thought he was a lost cause. After Kikyo, he stopped caring about anyone and anything but himself and trusted no one but Kurenai's compassion changed that and he doesn't have the right to deny anybody of the warmth and vibrance she brought to his life.

"The moment he tries to hurt you, or act like an asshole, you tell me."

"I have a feeling none of those will happen, Sesshoumaru acknowledges that he needs my help if he wants to survive in my era and if he does act like an asshole, I can put him in his place myself." Kurenai smirked proudly which Inuyasha mirrored.

"Of course you will." They chuckled together for a moment before Kurenai pulled her phone from her hoodie's pocket.

"Right, time for a photo!"

"Do we really have to? Don't you have enough pictures already?" Inuyasha grumbled as his bestfriend scooted closer, framing them in the screen.

"We don't have one with just the two of us, and no one comes to Central Park without a photo souvenir. Oh wait, I like the view in front of us better." She pulled the unenthusiastic hanyou towards the edge of the pond so they can have the bouquet of trees and buildings as their backdrop, "Perfect! Alright, tone the grumpy face down just a little bit Inuyasha." She mumbled through a smile and he rolled his eyes before trying to comply with the request as best he could.

Satisfied, Kurenai went ahead, "1.. 2.. 3!" they hunched over her phone to check the photo, "Nice! Looks great! We should all come here later when we some free have time, there still so much to see!" Inuyasha smiled at the way Kurenai glowed with excitement as they walked back to the hotel.


	37. Cloud in the Sky

**THIRTY SEVEN**

The living room where they celebrated triumphs and spent days off usually snuggling in soft, warm fur with actual humans she adored felt alien to Kurenai as she stood there, feeling as if cold hand is wrapped tightly around her throat while the furry babies nudged, howled and whined at her and Ren's legs.

"Kurenai, Ren." Hannah and Ryan stood as they approached the couch.

A blue blanket entered her vision and Kurenai felt her feet too heavy to take another step. Her blood pounded deafeningly in her ears when she saw the white fur she loved running her hands through before her eyes found the peaceful slumbering face of Nimbus… if only he really was just sleeping.

Memories of walking up to their mom and dad and pops's coffins flashed in Kurenai's mind as the grief she shoved in the depths of her heart rattled its cage, eager to join the new wave of grief that's slicing her to pieces. She clenched her body tight, as if doing so will keep it locked in. It has to, if not, she will break and she can't break, she's the anchor. The nurturer.

But as she got on her knees and set her forehead against Nimbus', she wondered how much more she could take. She's lowered too many of those she loved into the ground and it crushed her heart and drained her soul more and more each time.

"I'm really sorry Ren, Kurenai," Hannah said, tears streaming down her face and Ryan soothingly rubbed her back.

Ren joined Kurenai in stroking Nimbus's fur, "It's not your fault Hannah. He's had heart issues even before we adopted him, he's been a trooper for a really long time." Tears spilled from his eyes at the reality that he will never see Nimbus's smiling face again.

They were waiting to board their flight at the lounge when Kurenai's phone rang.

" _What's wrong Hannah?" her heart leapt to her throat when the screen showed a distraught Hannah._

" _Kurenai… it's Nimbus."_ No. Please no… _she pleaded to the Heavens. "I went to get them for a walk but he didn't wake up. I rushed him here to Dr. Ridley but he was long gone." Her friends audibly gasped in shock at the news and Kurenai staggered to one of the couches as her cousin broke down to tears on the screen. She rested her head on her shaking, clasped hands. She wanted to throw up, it felt like air is being suck out of her body._

 _Ren came back from the bar and didn't like what he saw, "Peaches, what's going on?" his blood ran cold when his sister raised her head; the few times he's seen that look of stifled desolation on her face, they never saw their mom and dad and pops ever again._

" _Nimbus… He's gone Ren." Her voice trembled, "He never woke up this morning and he never will." It took Ren a few moments to process before dropping down to the couch beside her, pressing his head on her shoulder as tears flowed silently and uncontrollably down his cheeks. Kurenai stroked his hair with one hand and took his hand with the other and laced their fingers together, a silent promise that they'll get through this together, like they always did._

Sango, Shippo and Rin openly wept with the siblings and even the grown men in the room felt their throats tighten painfully at the heartbreaking scene especially when just yesterday, they were a couple of doting dog parents giddily strolling the pet store for treats thoughtfully chosen for each beloved dog only to come home and never get the chance to give it to one of them.

Sesshoumaru felt an excruciating twist in his chest for Kurenai who refused separate from her beloved dog and never said a word for over an hour.

For outsiders, the miko not shedding a tear when Ren openly wept beside her will be considered cold and unfeeling of her but Sesshoumaru knew better. Despite the sense-nullifying ear cuff, he can smell and feel her anguish and it became absolutely unbearable when he removed the cuff.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart, we weren't here to hold you in your final breaths. I haven't been around much lately and I'm sorry. I hope you know how much I love you Nimbus, thank you for all the times you soothed my storms."

It was a whisper, so soft that no one would hear but Sesshoumaru did and her guilt clawed at his chest. He desired nothing more than to pull her into his arms and help her carry the grief and guilt that's plaguing her. To make her feel safe to allow herself to breakdown, that it's okay not to put her feelings aside and not be a constant pillar of strength and rationality.

The front door flew open followed by a loud and urgent call, "Kurenai! Ren!" a tall, dark haired man in a dark blue shirt and jeans entered the house in wide strides, "Miguel! Where is she?!" he asked from down the hall, oblivious to the other people in the room.

There was no need to reply to him since he entered the living room a second later and rushed to the siblings' side which is crowded by their other dogs.

"Welcome home Mav," Ren said and their friends from the Feudal era stared at the newcomer with intrigue. _So this is the infamous older brother_.

"Thanks." Mavick's ocean blue eyes raked worriedly over Kurenai's hunched form, "Though I prefer finally seeing you after over a month to be anything but this. I'm sorry bro."

"Thank you and to you too. You also care for them, love them." Ren replied while stroking a whimpering Sawyer in his arms, nuzzling his departed brother along with Toffee who's on the couch trying to paw his brother awake.

Mavick carefully set his hand on his sister's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze, "I'm so sorry baby girl," he said and when he didn't get a response, he decided to let her be in her quiet grief.

Moments passed and Kurenai's back rose and fell before finally sitting up and accepting a hug from Mavick, "Thank you V, I'm sorry too."

"Nimbus has been a real fighter, just like you and Ren and I know he's thankful that you guys took him in and loved him."

Kurenai nodded at her brother's statement before letting go and turning to her friends, "Guys, this is our older brother, Mavick Walry. V, you've heard a lot of stories about my friends from Japan."

Mavick mirrored his father not just with his gorgeous looks but also his scrutinizing eyes that lingered on Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, "Pleasure to meet you, I wish we could've met on less tragic circumstances," he said.

Kurenai pulled Zodiac into her arms who let out a bloodcurdling howl that was echoed by Sawyer and Toffee in Ren's arms and their faces twisted in agony as their arms tightened around their dogs to offer support and solace as they grieve the loss of their brother.

After moments of private lament, Kurenai asked, "Kids, would you like to say your goodbyes to Nimbus?" the kids nodded and ran over.

"Thank you for playing with me and letting me ride on your back." Shippo stroked the dog's stomach.

"Bye bye Nimbus. We'll be looking for you whenever we look up the sky," said a tearful Rin as she hugged Nimbus' neck. Her innocent statement made more tears flow in the room, not even the smile on Kurenai's lips hid the pain of longing the young girl's words stirred in her.

The rest of their friends in the room also bid the beloved dog farewell, even Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru paid their respects before the aftercare company arrived to pick Nimbus up.


	38. V

**Hi guys! I know, I've been MIA for quite a while. Real world stuff demanded my attention and it still does but I always have this story in my mind. This chapter has been done for a while but I wanted to finish drafts for a couple chapters at least before I upload this but I didn't get the time to just focus and write. Anyway, thank you all for your patience and kind words to this story. It means the world to me but of course I'm also open to constructive criticisms.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think :)**

 **THIRTY EIGHT**

There's a sense of awe in those from the Feudal era at finally meeting the fabled older brother as Mavick's presence dominated the room with every self-assured move, eloquent words spoken and seemingly perpetually perceptive eyes. These attributes make him an asset as one of the top executives in his father's company which they naturally thought he'd take over but to their surprise, he's not keen on the idea and he's more passionate towards his life as a photographer and after learning that he captured many of the compelling portraits in the siblings' house, it made sense.

His noted protectiveness they find, is not only for Kurenai but also for Ren when he took over coordinating with the team that picked Nimbus up so his siblings can deal with their emotions and comfort their dogs as they barked and tried to run after their brother as he's being taken away. He also objected on his sister wanting to cook lunch and insisted on ordering instead.

But when his siblings refused to eat, Mavick didn't have the heart to scold them when they looked like toppled dominos on the couch with their fur children—Zodiac draped over Kurenai as she sat with one soothing arm around him and the other alternately rubbing Toffee and Ren who's curled up with Sawyer.

The orange sky is shifting to pink by the time Ren and Kurenai got the motivation to shovel a bite of food into their mouths much to the relief of their older brother and friends. The dogs also halfheartedly dug into their bowls next to their owners' feet.

"Hey you two, I have to go but I'll drop by tomorrow with Luke." Ryan reached in to hug Kurenai, "I'm so sorry for your loss." He slid over to hug Ren as well, "I'm sure he's in dog heaven, running on clouds as fluffy as he is."

"Thank you." they both responded then Kurenai added,

"Thank you for your work on the rooms Ryan, they turned out incredible, much better than we could ever hope for." From Rin and Sango's dreamy peach and aqua blue room, Sesshoumaru's sophisticated and relaxing gray room and Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippo's blue and white naval room, they all loved it and her friends are ecstatic to be occupying such sublime spaces.

Hannah left with Ryan but not before the siblings made sure to remind their cousin that what happened wasn't her fault.

"Kurenai," Sesshoumaru walked up to them at the kitchen island, "I hate to bother you but your father sent an email on clearing yours and Ren's calendars for the next three days or for as long as you need."

In the past, Kurenai would have objected to this. Work keeps her sane. In hindsight, she took on tons of workload to occupy herself and keep her tragic childhood memories at bay, but right now, Ren is not her only family that needs her but Zodiac, Sawyer, and Toffee as well.

"Let's go through it later, there may be some appointments we can't reschedule."

Mavick watched the exchange while leaning on the counter across his siblings, "Curry," to the amusement of their friends, this is Mavick's nickname for Kurenai. He felt the need to shorten his sister's name and since he adores the curry she makes, that's what he decided to call her. Kurenai didn't find it very endearing at first but slowly warmed up to it and it's exclusive to him the same way 'V' is exclusive to her. "How's the training of the new assistants going?" he asked.

"Sango's getting the hang of it and Sesshoumaru's doing splendid for someone who's only two days into the job but there's still a lot for him to learn."

"That's why I said hiring someone with zero experience is not a good idea." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at the condescending remark, "You've got a lot going on and training him is just more work."

"He wants to help me, V and I need it. I'd rather invest in teaching someone from the ground up." Kurenai's eyes locked with Sesshoumaru's, "At least I know I can trust him than someone with glowing accolades but hides malicious intent."

Mavick sneered, "Trust him? After what he did to you? He's malice personified!" They tensed, Kurenai looked around and was thankful Miguel is out by the pool on a phone call and aside from Inuyasha's dog demon hearing, the rest of her friends are oblivious to the discussion with their full attention on the TV.

"Now Mav, take it easy," Ren said in a cautionary tone, "That's in the past, people change for the better and Sesshoumaru definitely has. He's the one who offered his help when our sister's struggling, we should be relieved."

"The man who almost liquefied my sister is beside her all the time and is apparently playing house with her. Yeah, that's reassuring."

"V... He's never done anything to me since then, he even saved my life once."

Mavick sighed. While he's thankful that her experience with being betrayed by her own family and a friend that she treated as family didn't turn his sister into a cold, hard person, he wished she'd be weary of letting the freaking demon close to her.

"If he hurts you, I'll fu—"Kurenai glared at him and pointed at the living room to remind him of the children's presence. " _Freaking_ kill him."

"I won't." Sesshoumaru finally spoke and their eyes fell on him, "I will never hurt her." His golden eyes bore intensely into Mavick's deep blues, unaware of Kurenai's heart skipping a beat at his words and his intense delivery.

Ren smirked despite being concerned that these two might just go at it because Sesshoumaru's declaration didn't sit well with his brother judging from the way his stubble-carpeted jaw shifted. After years of chasing boys away, Mavick may have found his match in Sesshoumaru.

Mavick walked towards Sesshoumaru, his features taut and eyes practically ablaze. He stopped inches away from the daiyoukai, "It'll take more than words to convince me," he said in a scathing tone before Kurenai's hand jumped out and grabbed his arm.

"V, not today please..."

The exhaustion in his sister's voice snapped him out of overprotective brother mode and instantly felt guilty. This is the last thing his siblings need, he's supposed to be supporting them, not adding to their misery.

Mavick dug his fingers through his slightly wavy dark brown hair and sighed, "I'm sorry curry." He stroked her hair gently, "I'm gonna get some air," he said and headed out to the backyard.

Sesshoumaru's eyes followed Mavick out into the backyard and watched him light a cigarette. He can't help but feel that there's something more to Mavick's protective compulsion because he would occasionally look at him like he wants him to stay away from his woman, not his sister and it's rousing Sesshoumaru's primal instinct to assert his dominance towards another male.

"I apologize for his aggressive behavior," Kurenai said as she too watched her brother smoke.

"He cares for you," the daiyoukai stated and she turned to him, surprised to be getting a response that is other than a cutting remark after everything that Mavick said.

She chuckled, "He can be a little excessive."

"He scared off any man that showed interest in you for years. Yeah. A little." Ren said sarcastically but got confused by the accusing look that the daiyoukai threw at him, then he realized that he forgot to mention that bit of important information to the Sesshoumaru during their heart-to-heart in New York. He lifted his shoulders and mouthed an apologetic _Oops_ to the daiyoukai.

Oblivious to the exchange, Kurenai rubbed Zodiac's neck when he nudged at her knee, "V's well aware of our history and being an only child until his early twenties, I'm sure he was thrilled to finally have siblings and took the role seriously. We couldn't have asked for a better adoptive brother, he never saw us as a threat to his standing with dad unlike some people in his situation especially considering the amount of fortune he could've had to himself. He's a natural older brother."

Kurenai's fond statement about her brother inadvertently sparked guilt in the daiyoukai. It made Sesshoumaru think that maybe Mavick who cared for Kurenai longer and indiscriminately welcomed her and Ren as part of his family deserves her more than someone like him who endangered Kurenai's life with his own hands and spited his half-brother even with their father's blood they shared in their veins.

For the first time in his life, the daiyoukai learned the bitter taste of jealousy and insecurity in his mouth.


End file.
